Spain: PM Pedro Sanchez visits Barcelona, criticises regional chief

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez visited Barcelona to meet the police injured during the protests that broke out after prominent Catalan politicians and activists were sentenced lengthy prison terms. Before the visit, the acting Prime Minister accused the pro-separatist leaders of turning their back on security forces.

"I have spoken with @nuriamarinlh, president of the @diba, to convey the support and solidarity of the Government of Spain with Barcelona. We work to restore coexistence and guarantee the rights and security of all citizens in Catalonia," tweeted Sanchez .

Read: Spain: PM Pedro Sanchez Under Pressure To Contain Catalan Protests

Strong letter to Torra

Pedro Sanchez wrote a letter to Catalonia’s regional chief Quim Torra, who had termed the crackdown as an “act of vengeance”, to remind the obligations of public officials. Sanchez feels that all public officials should strongly condemn the violence and protect the security forces to help avoid civil discord. The caretaker PM also visited the police headquarters in Catalonia to thank the agents deployed to guarantee security in Barcelona. 

Read: Spain: PM Pedro Sanchez Holds Emergency Meeting Amidst Protests

The pressure of upcoming elections

Sanchez has been under fire for his handling of the Catalan protests and is treading on a thin line due to upcoming general elections. Sanchez has not been able to garner sufficient backing as its top candidate in the lower house which has forced the country to go for second general elections this year. The elections to form government at the Centre are held every four years or before in case of a snap election.

Read: Demonstrators Attack Journalist In Spain's Barcelona

The major opposition parties in the current house are - People’s Party, Citizens and Unidas Podemos with 66, 57 and 42 seats respectively. Spain will go into the fourth election in as many years. In April, the country went into snap elections and the Socialist party came up as the single largest party with 123 seats but fell short of a majority. The party has been trying to reach the figure of 176 to prove majority on the floor of the house but has failed to do so.

Read: Spain Sends Third Arrest Warrant Against Catalan Ex-leader In Belgium

(With Inputs from Agencies)