Catalan Separatists See Path for Spain to Form Government: Pais

(Bloomberg) -- The Catalan separatist party Esquerra Republicana sees a path for Spain to form a government before Jan. 5 if the ruling Socialists make a gesture that helps to recognize the rights of its jailed leader as a member of the European Parliament, El Pais reported.

Spanish government lawyers are due to give their opinion on the issue soon and their response will be a condition for Esquerra’s support for acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez’s bid to stay on in his role, the newspaper said, citing officials from the Catalan party that it didn’t identify. The state lawyer’s department may opt to back the temporary release from prison of Esquerra’s leader Oriol Junqueras, El Pais said, citing people in the Socialist party.

Sanchez’s Socialists emerged as the biggest party in general elections held last month but well short of the majority they need to form a government on their own. Sanchez immediately sealed a pact with the anti-austerity platform Podemos but also needs the support of Esquerra’s 13 deputies to be able to win parliamentary approval to remain as prime minister.

Esquerra had suspended talks with the Socialists on Thursday after Europe’s top court ruled that Junqueras had political immunity after being elected as a member of the European Parliament in May. Junqueras was jailed in October for his part in an illegal bid by the Catalan government of the time to declare independence from Spain in 2017.

At its congress in Barcelona Saturday, Esquerra officials stressed the need for political dialogue and said the party could help act as an “ice breaker” to unblock Spain’s political stalemate.

To contact the reporter on this story: Charles Penty in Madrid at cpenty@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Chad Thomas at cthomas16@bloomberg.net, Eddie van der Walt, Anil Varma

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