A little more than a month after throwing the dishes over each other’s heads, the PSOE and Junts aim for a quick resolution of their disagreement. On January 30, the post-convergents rejected the Amnesty law in the Congress of Deputies. The socialists, and with them ERC and the rest of the allies, were outraged. In his opinion, the delay did not favor the interests of all those susceptible to criminal oblivion. Today, however, the PSOE and Junts have recovered to the point that the former are waiting for the final validation of the formation led by Carles Puigdemont of a proposal worked together.
For now, the matter publicly seems to be on track. The former president of the Generalitat Carles Puigdemont intervened in an event of the Council of the Republic in the south of France in which the reproaches for a possible disagreement on the amnesty shone by his absence. What’s more, Puigdemont spoke of leaving behind “the slab of repression and exile” and of a “new stage”.
On the left they wait. They know the terms that are being modified and ensure that some of their amendments will be part of the agreement. Despite everything, the text is not entirely to his liking. However, they all see the pact close, as suggested by the statements that have followed each other in recent days. So much so that yesterday Oriol Junqueras wanted to push Junts to decide immediately. He demanded “responsibility” from the post-convergents, although he had previously urged them: “We feel the force and the duty to remind everyone that beyond the tactics of the short term, there are very noble goals and aspirations that this country deserves that they become concrete”.
There are more signs that point in the direction of a pact. Jaume Asens, who is running as a candidate for Sumar in the European elections, pointed out yesterday that the “agreement is imminent”. Jordi Turull, general secretary of Junts, replied immediately: “About Junts and the state of Junts’ negotiations with other political forces, if there is any news, it will be reported from Junts”.
Be that as it may, Thursday, March 7, is the deadline for the Justice Committee of Congress to approve the text of the Amnesty law that must go to plenary the following week. No further extension was requested yesterday. It was the last day to do it. A fact that can be considered as another clear sign, which is added to another indication, that of Minister Félix Bolaños, who was not seen yesterday at the summit of European socialists in Rome.
Everything points to the media noise of the Koldo case and the interlocutory hearing of the Supreme Court opening the case to investigate Carles Puigdemont and ERC deputy Ruben Wagensberg for the crime of terrorism, for the Democratic Tsunami protests of 2019, the PSOE and Junts they took the opportunity to negotiate discreetly and finalize the pact. In any case, what they agree must also have the endorsement of the other groups that support the criminal oblivion, especially of Esquerra.
The draft of the Venice Commission’s report – drawn up in response to a Senate inquiry – made public last Friday endorses amnesties as instruments for the resolution of political conflicts. It has provided an impetus to the claims of the PSOE and the pro-independence parties to push ahead with criminal oblivion in the face of the PP offensive, which took the initiative to call the aforementioned body to visit Spain in February.
Junts also believes that the preliminary study carried out by the Venice Commission reinforces its thesis that terrorism can be included in the Amnesty law, a fact that the judicial actions that are trying to prosecute Carles Puigdemont and other leaders such as Marta Rovira for this crime. Also, the post-convergents point out that the document justifies their vote against it a month ago for the drafting of the criminal oblivion.
ERC also believes that the Venice Commission is right. “It coincides thread by line with everything we have defended for so long”.
It does not escape anyone’s attention that the approval of the Amnesty law is a fundamental piece for the legislature to move forward, a way to change the screen and delve into other issues such as the general budgets of the State and other laws that the coalition Executive has on the table of the Council of Ministers and wants to promote. Without the criminal oblivion, in Moncloa they cannot count on the support of Junts and ERC, who have constantly repeated that if the commitments made are not fulfilled “the legislature will not advance and they will not support the Spanish Government.
Approving the law also means removing the spotlight from the Koldo case, which particularly wears down the socialists. The amnesty, apparently after the elections in Galicia in February, not so much. The bloc of the left, which supports criminal oblivion, maintained its support despite the decline of the Galician socialists.
