Barcelona is at the centre of a delicate political balance, as Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) and Junts per Catalunya keep pressure on Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez while refusing to help bring in a Popular Party (PP) government backed by Vox.
Both Catalan parties say they are uneasy about the judicial cases affecting the PSOE, but neither wants to support a no-confidence motion that would depend on the far right. Their position leaves Sánchez exposed, but also limits the options for his opponents in Madrid.
ERC has told Sánchez it feels “great discomfort” over a series of investigations, including the Leire Díez case, the alleged involvement of José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero’s brother, and a hearing involving his wife. Republican sources say it is hard to separate “lawfare” from real corruption in the current PSOE cases, but they draw a clear line at any move that would help a PP-Vox government.
Junts has sent a similar message through intermediaries. Since ending talks in Switzerland, its contact with the PSOE has become less fluid. The party says it does not want its votes counted alongside Vox’s in Congress, and it sees no point in backing a motion that would be politically unacceptable to much of its Catalan base.
At the same time, both parties have reasons to keep Sánchez in office for now. ERC wants time for agreements linked to the amnesty for Oriol Junqueras, while Junts is waiting on the amnesty for Carles Puigdemont. ERC also has budget deals with the PSC that depend on Sánchez staying in power, including commitments on the orbital train, an investment society, and the effective transfer of Rodalies commuter rail services.
Catalan Socialist Party leader Salvador Illa has backed Sánchez publicly and urged him to stay on. ERC and Junts, meanwhile, say their support for the PSOE is tactical, not based on trust. They want to keep their own leverage in Catalonia, but neither party wants to be seen as helping a PP-Vox alternative take shape.
