Junts, the Catalan party with seven seats in Congress, has publicly called on Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez to resign, arguing that his continued leadership could hand the government to the far right, specifically VOX. Junts says the PSOE needs a change of leadership to address Catalan demands. The call has reignited debate over the future of the current government and the unresolved Catalan question.
The party’s use reflects the fragmented result of Spain’s 23 July 2023 general election. The 350-seat Congress has an absolute-majority threshold of 176; the Partido Popular won 137 seats, the PSOE 121, VOX 33, Sumar 31, while Junts and ERC won seven each. No party reached a majority on its own. The PP and VOX together held 170 seats, six short of the threshold, making support from smaller and regional parties basic to the search for a government.
Junts spokesperson Míriam Nogueras outlined the party’s position in an interview with EL PAÍS after a surprise intervention in Congress. She said Junts had been considering a change of leadership for some time, citing what she described as the inefficiency of Sánchez’s government and repeated failures to honor agreements with Catalonia. Nogueras stressed that Junts has consistently opposed the far right and claimed that, without its support, VOX would have entered government in July 2023. The parliamentary arithmetic shows the broader stakes: the PP and VOX bloc lacked an absolute majority, though the election totals alone do not establish what other arrangements might have been possible. Nogueras warned that Sánchez alone would bear responsibility if the far right gains power, since he can step aside. She cited the so-called “vía Starmer” as a model for political renewal.
The formation of the current government showed the importance of those regional blocs. After PP leader Alberto Núñez Feijóo’s unsuccessful investiture attempt, in which he received 172 votes in favor and 178 against, Sánchez secured 179 votes in November 2023, backed by Sumar, Junts, ERC, EH Bildu, PNV, BNG and other regional forces. That first-round total cleared the 176-vote threshold, but did not create a permanent majority: the government still depends on negotiations among parties with distinct priorities to advance legislation.
The proposal comes amid growing frustration among Sánchez’s parliamentary partners. Nogueras said other parties have begun questioning Sánchez’s leadership and the viability of the current government, echoing concerns Junts raised over a year ago. She cited broken promises on Catalan issues, compounded by corruption scandals, as the basic reasons for demanding either elections or a confidence vote. She also suggested that dissent within the PSOE is growing, even if it has not yet been expressed openly.
Junts rejects the idea that its call for Sánchez’s resignation is reactionary. The party argues that the Spanish legislature is effectively paralyzed and that political projects should not depend on one person. Nogueras dismissed comparisons with Junts’ own leadership situation, noting that the party’s president remains in exile and that its focus is Catalonia’s unresolved status within Spain. She insisted that political instability will persist as long as Catalan demands go unmet.
Asked whether relations could improve under a new PSOE leader, Nogueras said any future president must honor commitments to Catalonia or accept ongoing instability. She criticized other Catalan parties, particularly ERC, for supporting the PSOE without tangible results, arguing that such alliances only strengthen the far right. Nogueras credited Junts with forcing the passage of the amnesty law and securing the use of Catalan in Congress, concessions she said were non-negotiable for the party’s support.
Spain’s political field remains highly fragmented, with no single party holding a majority in Congress. Junts’ seven deputies, equal to ERC’s representation in the 2023 election, can so matter in investiture votes and legislative negotiations. The “vía Starmer” reference points to the UK Labour Party’s leadership change, which some in Spain see as a precedent for resolving internal crises. The debate over Catalonia’s status continues to shape national politics, as Junts uses its basic position to push for greater autonomy and recognition. The standoff keeps the risk of early elections or a change in government at the center of concerns for the PSOE and its partners.
