Rajoy and Sánchez allied

Conservative prime minister Mariano Rajoy and socialist party leader Pedro Sánchez yesterday offered the world an unprecedented image of unity regarding the Catalan referendum on independence. The pair’s display of conviction in rejecting the referendum marked the first meeting between the two state leaders since Rajoy retained his position last May. The main topic of conversation in yesterday’s meeting at La Moncloa was the impending Catalan vote, which they said would not be allowed to take place. While Rajoy gave his guarantee that he would stop the referendum, Sánchez said he would support the Spanish government in defending the “law and the Constitution”.

After a meeting that lasted almost two and a half hours and the two parties confirmed had been very cordial, Spanish government spokesperson Íñigo Méndez de Vigo said “There is substantial agreement” that 1-O is “illegal” and “unacceptable” and a “sham” that must be stopped. The important thing for La Moncloa was to convey a political message of unity that will result in permanent contact between the two leaders.

Once the agreement had been confirmed, the socialist leader wanted to introduce some nuances to maintain his party’s strategy of distancing itself from the immobility of the PP, highlighting the need to explore political avenues for a solution.

According to the PSOE spokesperson, Sánchez left a package of political initiatives on the table aimed at trying to find a solution with the Catalan government through dialogue, seeing it as vital that Rajoy sit down to negotiate with Carles Puigdemont.