Catalans appear to be growing tired of independence

Spain’s Socialist party (PSOE) won crucial elections in Catalonia over the weekend, beating a pro-independence bloc whose support has been declining steadily over the last few years. The Socialists were led by Salvador Illa, who served as Spain’s health minister during the pandemic. The party will now have the first shot at forming the region’s next government, despite being 26 seats short of a majority. The negotiations are likely to last for weeks, and may have an impact on the national administration led by Pedro Sanchez, which itself is heavily reliant on the support of Catalan separatists.

Sunday’s election was a de facto vote on Catalan secession, which has been the most divisive issue in Spanish politics for over a decade. Despite the complex cross-party talks that await him, Illa hailed the Socialist victory as a major step forward in soothing tensions between Madrid and Barcelona, which reached breaking point with an illegal referendum on Catalan independence in 2017.