Spain’s Catalonia calls early election on eve of amnesty vote

BARCELONA: Catalonia will hold an early election on May 12 after the separatist minority government of the Spanish region failed to approve its budget proposal in the regional parliament, Catalan government head Pere Aragones said on Wednesday.

The snap election could have implications for national politics as Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez relies on Catalan separatist parties Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya and Junts to pass legislation.

Catalan separatism has been a dominant theme in Spanish politics in the past decade.

The election had originally been scheduled for February 2025 at the end of the current legislative term.

“On May 12, Catalan citizens will choose between responsibility or irresponsibility,” Esquerra’s Aragones said in a televised address, calling the parties that opposed his budget proposal earlier on Wednesday “irresponsible”.