27th October 2025
Barcelona NewsCatalonia NewsMadrid NewsMain News

Albert Rivera offers to enable PSOE government if pardon for Catalan leaders is ruled out

As Spain braces for another snap election after months of fruitless negotiations, the Ciudadanos (Cs) has made a surprise proposal to prevent fresh polls: enabling a Socialist (PSOE) government if Pedro Sánchez rules out using his presidential powers to pardon the Catalan leaders awaiting verdict in the independence referendum trial.

Albert Rivera
Albert Rivera, leader of Ciudadanos (Cs), tweeted a picture of himself in May 2019 giving a cold stare at the jailed Catalan MPs in Congress (Twitter / @Albert_Rivera)

ALSO READ: Spain moving nearer to elections again on 10 November

Cs leader Albert Rivera called on the People’s Party (PP), the other major right-wing party in the Spanish Congress, to facilitate Sánchez’s presidency as a ‘state solution’ – a double-edged proposal that could either save Spain from another election, or present Rivera as a statesman in the upcoming election campaign if the offer is rejected.

ALSO READ: Focus on Ciudadanos: ‘weather vane’ to ‘dangerous friendships’

Sánchez appeared to welcome Rivera’s proposal later on Monday, implicitly accepting the conditions by saying that ‘there are no real obstacles for Cs and PP to abstain’.

Rivera, an implacable detractor of the independence movement, has repeatedly warned against Sánchez using his presidential powers to pardon Catalan politicians and activists on trial for their role in the 2017 independence bid.

Catalan president Quim Torra called Rivera’s proposal ‘shameful’. He also dismissed Sánchez’s response as ‘obscene’.

Recent Posts

Tens of thousands protest in Valencia on anniversary of devastating DANA floods

News Desk

‘Vanished’ Picasso painting found safely in Spain amid questions over possible transport blunder

News Desk

Spain’s unemployment rate rises slightly, even as number of people employed hits new record

News Desk

Madrid may fine Rosalía over ‘serious public safety incidents’ during album launch

News Desk

Sánchez hits back at Trump’s latest criticism of Spain being ‘not a team player’

News Desk

Spain unveils €500 million package to strengthen 24-hour care for sufferers of ALS and other debilitating diseases

News Desk

Leave a Comment