In the regional elections for the Parliament of Catalonia, the pro-independence parties - combined - obtained enough seats to guarantee an absolute majority and express a new president of the Generalitat, the Catalan government. However, the most voted party was the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC), a local branch of the Socialist Party currently in government in Spain, which is against independence and obtained 23% of the votes, with 33 seats.
Premier Pedro Sanchez's party doubles the number of regional deputies and returns to the levels of over 10 years ago, but fails to avoid the (obvious) formation of a new secessionist government in Catalonia. The pro-independence parties are the centre-left Republican Left of Catalonia (Erp), which obtained 21,3% and 33 seats; Together for Catalonia (Juntos), center-right, with 20% with 32 seats; and the far-left United People's Candidacy (Cup), which collected 6,6% and 9 seats. Together, the three parties – which have also ruled the Catalan government in the last three years, albeit with the external support of the Cup – reach 74 seats, well beyond the threshold required for an absolute majority (68).
The two main pro-independence forces are now called to decide who will be the president of the Generalitat. Erp, having won more votes, could claim the highest office in the region. Oriol Junqueras, the president of ERC who is serving a sentence for sedition and embezzlement following the 2017 independence referendum, has already said that the party "will once again have the presidency of the Generalitat", although it is probable that the they will be difficult to reach.
Erc's candidate is Pere Aragonès, outgoing interim president following the resignation of Quim Torra, convicted of disobedience. Junts' candidate is Laura Borràs, professor of literature at the University of Barcelona and councilor for culture in the outgoing government.
