Junts Get Scared With Pedro Sánchez

The relations between PSOE and Junts are once again suffering a setback after the umpteenth threat from the post-convergents. Carles Puigdemont's party returns to the same strategy it has been repeating in recent months. They stage their anger over the breach of agreements with PSOE and threaten a breakup that never happens.

Although this time Junts does have reasons to distrust the convenience of remaining tied to PSOE. The fear that the Supreme Court will end up deciding on Puigdemont's amnesty places the game in a new scenario. In Junts, they fear that President Pedro Sánchez will leave them hanging and call early elections without having solved the issue of amnesty.

Junts returns to the threat to increase pressure on PSOE, but from Moncloa, they assure that they are very calm. The Junts members have overused the ultimatum and have lost credibility. Now Puigdemont finds himself trapped in a dead-end street.

Fear of Being Left Hanging

Withdrawing support from President Pedro Sánchez's Government would leave Carles Puigdemont without the protection network of the Constitutional Court. It is very difficult to think that the former president could obtain the grace measure in a potential PP and Vox government. Once again, despite the fuss, it is proven that Junts loses more than it gains if it brings down President Pedro Sánchez's Government.

But the delay of the amnesty and the proximity of possible early elections increase the costs of keeping President Pedro Sánchez's Government. Puigdemont is beginning to glimpse the worst-case scenario. The one in which President Pedro Sánchez calls early elections, leaving him in the hands of a judiciary opposed to amnesty.

This would not only prevent Puigdemont's return to Catalonia but would also be a severe blow to Junts's image. In Waterloo, the fear of being seen as the fools of the story and proving right those who accused them of giving their votes in exchange for nothing is growing.

Sánchez Sticks to His Plan

Nervousness has skyrocketed following Judge Llarena's statements about the Constitutional Court's inability to amnesty Puigdemont. The Supreme Court ruled last week not to amnesty the pro-independence leaders prosecuted for embezzlement. Now, Llarena has said that the appeals to the Constitutional Court will not succeed, thus closing the door to Puigdemont's amnesty.

Nervousness has turned into panic amid the latest speculations from Podemos. The purples have assured that President Pedro Sánchez will call early elections in the summer of 2026 to coincide with the Andalusian elections.

It should be remembered that both Podemos and Junts have critical support for the Government, and here everyone is playing their cards. But the mere idea that Sánchez might call elections within a year has triggered panic in Junts. For the first time, they are considering the need to bring down the Government before PSOE leaves them hanging.

In Moncloa, there is a sense of calm with the certainty that the threat is another bluff. The socialists want to calm Puigdemont with new concessions and urge to continue working in bilateral meetings. While Puigdemont despairs, Sánchez sticks to his plan.