Could a Catalan separatist party join a coalition government in Spain?

If so the Junts party says its exiled leader Carles Puigdemont, who remains a fugitive in Belgium, must receive an amnesty from the Spanish state for organising an illegal independence referendum in 2017.

“We want to have the right to self-determination and amnesty, logically, an amnesty that has not been resolved with a few pardons granted by the government,” Josep Rius, a spokesperson for the JuntsxCatalunya party told Euronews.

It may be possible for Puigdemont to acts as the kingmaker, but Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez and his leftist PSOE party has always ruled out helping Catalonia’s separatists.

 “PSOE has said many times that the unity of Spain is something that cannot be called into question. So in this sense, it seems difficult for the PSOE to negotiate on these terms,” Marc Guinjoan, a political analyst, told Euronews.

“Junts does not have as much incentive to form or to force a coalition with PSOE and Sumar. So we will see what happens in the coming months.”

But on Monday the Public Prosecutor’s Office asked for Puigdemont’s international arrest warrant to be reactivated, making it appear even less likely. 

The Junts party leader was quick to point out the irony on twitter:

Meanwhile there is a deadline of 17 August for filling the Congress with its post-election members.

But in Spain, there is no specific legal deadline for the investiture of a president, so negotiations on forming a coalition could take weeks.

And if no coalition is formed Spain faces holding another election.