Spain’s Socialists hail ‘new era’ after separatist defeat in Catalonia

Spain’s Socialists won the biggest share of the vote in Sunday’s Catalan elections, dealing a serious blow to more than a decade of separatist governance and the independence dreams still nursed by some in the wealthy northeastern region.

The Socialists, led locally by Salvador Illa, had 42 seats in the 135-seat chamber with more than 99 per cent of the vote counted, while hardline separatist party Junts was in second place with 35 seats, and the incumbent more moderate separatist party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) had 20 seats.

Spain’s largest opposition party, the conservative People’s Party, also had a good night, seeing the biggest increase since the last vote in 2021 from three seats to 15 on Sunday. Turnout for the vote was notably low at 58 per cent.

The result looks to be an existential threat for separatist governance in Catalonia which led a 2017 illegal independence referendum and declaration of independence that caused Spain’s worst institutional crisis in more than 30 years but whose movement has lost energy and unity more recently.

It also represents a vindication of Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s controversial bid to normalise relations with restive Catalonia, including issuing pardons for convictions over the independence drive and, more recently, a controversial amnesty including others still facing prosecution.

Speaking as the voting count concluded, Illa hailed a “new era” for the region. However, with no party holding a clear majority and deep ideological divisions between them, there remains the risk the vote will have to be repeated.