On 21 October 2026, Salvador Illa, president of the Generalitat de Catalunya, faced Mònica Sales, president of the Junts parliamentary group, in a Catalan Parliament debate over the amnesty law and Catalonia’s independence process. Sales challenged Illa over his shift in position on amnesty and suggested he had changed course at the request of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. Illa replied that a government led by the Partido Popular (PP) and Vox would not have approved an amnesty, and pointed to the role of PSC deputies in Congress.
The exchange also became a contest over who deserved credit for the law. Sales called it “a clear victory for the independence movement and a defeat for the Spanish government,” crediting Junts’ determination and its seven votes in Madrid. Illa said votes from the PSC, Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) and Comuns had also been needed to pass it.
The debate came a day after the Supreme Court exempted Jordi Turull and Oriol Junqueras, along with Raül Romeva and Dolors Bassa, from criminal liability. All four are prominent figures associated with the 2017 independence process. The law’s application and the return of former Catalan councillor Lluís Puig, who had been outside Catalonia for nine years and was expected to resume his parliamentary seat, were also among the issues shaping the session.
Illa described the amnesty as a moment when “Catalonia is closing one chapter and opening a new future,” calling it “a victory for everyone, above all for coexistence.” The exchange showed that independence remains a source of political disagreement, as Catalan parties debate the law’s consequences and who deserves credit for its passage.
The session also brought tension over Junts’ relationship with the PP into the open. Illa challenged Sales over what he described as dealings between the parties, despite the PP’s opposition to the amnesty. He asked: “Equidistant from what? From those who want to curtail self-government and deny the amnesty?” Their dispute showed that alliances and parliamentary cooperation remain contested across Catalan politics.
Junts’ national strategy has also involved pressuring Sánchez, including calls for him to step aside to prevent a far-right government, as described in this related report. The exchange over amnesty showed how debates in Catalonia continue to intersect with negotiations and political alignments in Madrid.
