Pro-independence ERC party backs socialists to form government in Catalonia

To form a government, Illa will need the support of at least 68 votes in a first round of voting in Catalonia’s regional parliament, or a simple majority in a second round. 

In an internal party vote on Friday, ERC militants approved a pre-agreement to support the PSC to form a government in Catalonia with 53.5% in favour and 44.8% against.

‘The result is clear, it is a yes,’ the party’s secretary general, Marta Rovira, told a Barcelona news conference. ‘It is not a gratuitous yes, it is not an absolute yes. It is a vigilant yes, a demanding yes.’

The deal includes a proposal to grant Catalonia full control of the taxes collected in the region, which has been for decades one of the main demands of pro-independence parties in the region.

The tax proposal, which still must be approved by the Spanish Congress, is opposed by the right-wing and far-right opposition groups – as well as by some quarters of the PSOE who argue it will deprive the central state of a substantial source of revenue.

But Sánchez has defended the agreement, saying on Wednesday it will ‘open a new era in Catalonia that will be positive for Catalan society and for Spanish society as a whole’.

If the parties fail to agree on a new head of Catalonia’s regional government by 26 August, fresh elections will be called in the region in October. ALSO READ: Countdown begins in Catalonia for possible new elections in mid-October.

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