Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) leader Pedro Sánchez enters difficult negotiations to form a new government this week, under the shadow of two Supreme Court cases that epitomise underlying problems in the country’s democracy. He has led a weak minority government since defeating the Partido Popular (PP) in a confidence motion a year ago. The court controversially described Franco as having been ‘Head of State’ from October 1936. At that moment, he was leading an armed insurrection – a prolonged coup d’état – against a legitimate democratic government. Echoes from this case inevitably carried over into another Supreme Court hearing last week in which closing prosecution arguments were heard against Catalan leaders who oversaw the illegal referendum for independence in 2017.

Source: The Irish Times June 09, 2019 22:52 UTC