A pact too far in Spain?

Sanchez lost the election, with the centre-right Partido Popular polling more votes, but the PP were unable to form a government and Sanchez moved in. Sanchez has friends, some of whose views are not everyone’s cup of tea, but he can call on the support of the nationalists in Catalonia and the Basque Country. Their support doesn’t come cheap.

The Catalans are demanding an amnesty for many of their members who were detained in the illegal independence vote. In fact, those who looked set to be pardoned had been Spain’s most wanted. But a day is a long time in politics and the “villains” of yesterday are the friends of today.

Many on the right of Spanish politics are fuming - the prospect of a government propped up by Basque and Catalan nationalists, who want a breakaway from Spain, is a bitter pill to swallow. Some might say that it is too bitter.

Sanchez has done a great job in convincing the country that it is in the interest of Spain to bring the nationalists on board along with the far-left. In some ways it is similar to Winston Churchill´s “deal with the devil” when he welcomed the Soviets as allies in the battle against Hitler. But is it a deal too far? Political parties who want to break up Spain and who are calling for the end of the monarchy will be given a key role in Spain.

Sanchez needs their votes to form a government. Yes, it could be said that he has a “broad church”, but at the same time the nationalists want something in return. Would it have been better to call a new election? Probably so; Sanchez is taking a big gamble.