The Catalan pro-independence party Junts per Catalunya (JxCat) has presented vetoes against every bill submitted to Spain’s central parliament by the coalition government, following its recent decision to withdraw support for the PSOE socialist party led by Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
JxCat – led by the exiled former president of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont – intends to vote against every bill submitted to parliament by the PSOE, its junior coalition partner, the left-wing Sumar group, and by the Spanish government itself. ALSO READ: Catalan pro-independence party Junts to withdraw backing for Spanish government.
According to parliamentary records, JxCat has already lodged full amendments to 25 separate legislative projects, and plans to do the same for another nine bills that have already received cabinet approval but have yet to begin their journey through the legislature.
JxCat has confirmed that it will reject 21 pending laws nearing the end of their parliamentary path, and it will also withhold support for the 2026 national budget, which has not yet been formally presented.
JxCat spokesperson in Congress, Míriam Nogueras (main image), said that the move is designed to pressure the governing parties to ‘face reality’ and push PM Sánchez to either ‘comply with Catalonia’ or have his term ‘blocked’.
Her remarks follow the party’s recent internal decision to cut all ties with the socialists. On 30 October, around 87% of members who voted in an internal ballot supported moving into opposition, with 66% turnout among eligible members.
Following the indecisive 2023 general election, in which the PSOE came in second, the seven parliamentary votes from Puigdemont’s JxCat were essential for Sánchez to secure another term. ALSO READ: The PSOE and Junts sign a pact that will guarantee investiture of Pedro Sánchez.
‘Catalans do not live from headlines and broken promises,’ Nogueras said during a press statement in Congress on Thursday. ‘If we reach a deal, it has to be achieved; if not, we cannot continue supporting [the government].’
JxCat has argued that the socialists have failed to uphold key elements of the pact that enabled Sánchez’s reelection — notably the full enforcement of the amnesty law (still excluding Puigdemont) and the recognition of Catalan as an official EU language, a matter stalled in Brussels. ALSO READ: Controversial Catalan amnesty law gets final approval in Spanish Congress.
Responding to JxCat’s announcement, the Spanish government offered an ‘outstretched hand’ on Thursday, stressing its commitment to dialogue.
‘The government fulfills its commitments. We always have. Those initiatives that depend exclusively on the executive have already been completed or are in the process of being implemented,’ government sources said after Nogueras’ remarks.
They added that Madrid remains dedicated to working with ‘all parliamentary groups willing to improve citizens’ lives, both in Catalonia and across Spain’.
‘Regarding commitments that do not depend solely on the government, we are working without delay to ensure they are fulfilled,’ the statement concluded.
Without JxCat’s seven MPs, the coalition government does not have a sufficient majority to push through its bills. The right-wing block systematically votes against any of the government’s proposals.
The PSOE and Sumar’s remaining parliamentary allies, including ERC, Bildu, PNV, BNG and Coalición Canaria, are not enough to reach the 176 seats needed to pass legislation.
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