Aragones, who has led Catalonia for three years, said his party would not back the Socialists, telling them to call on hardline separatist party Junts instead. The fruits of that more conciliatory approach were reflected in Sunday night's good result for the Socialists, while the ERC lost significant support. Now, it must decide whether to remain firm in rejecting the Socialists' overtures to support it to form a government, potentially forcing a fresh vote. The more hardline separatist Junts party has also backed the minority Socialist national government. Cristina Monge, an independent political analyst, said the continued support of the ERC and Junts was crucial for the stability of Spain's national government.

Source: The Standard May 13, 2024 14:27 UTC