Highly controversial

Spanish parliament passes amnesty law

The president of the Catalan separatist party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) Oriol Junqueras faces media representatives after the meeting.(Bild: APA/AFP/Pierre-Philippe MARCOU)

Spain's parliament has passed a controversial amnesty law for Catalan independence supporters.

With a narrow majority of 178 votes in favor and 172 against, MPs in Madrid approved Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's plan on Thursday in order to form a government. The law could also benefit former Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont, who could then return to Spain after years in exile.

Failed secession attempts
The failed attempts to secede Catalonia from Spain in 2017 are the background to the amnesty, which is intended to benefit hundreds of activists in particular who were prosecuted by the Spanish justice system after the failed secession.

The amnesty law, which was debated for months before the vote, divided Spanish society and sparked fierce protests. A first draft failed in parliament at the end of January due to opposition from Puigdemont's party. The text did not go far enough for them. The announced amnesty law was a prerequisite for the independence supporters to allow the Social Democrat Pedro Sánchez a second term in office as Spain's head of government in November.