Pedro Sánchez reiterates government's commitment to defence of legality and co-existence in Catalonia

Lower House of Parliament, Madrid

During the government control session in the Lower House of Parliament, the Acting President of the Government pointed out, in response to the MP for Esquerra Republicana de Cataluña (ERC) [Republican Left of Catalonia] Gabriel Rufián, that his proposal for this region is the same as "for each and every region in our country". A project, he declared, based on recovering social justice, combating corruption, abandoning division and committing to harmony", within the Constitution and the framework of the law".

After thanking Gabriel Rufián for abstaining in the investiture session to facilitate the formation of a government in Spain, Pedro Sánchez highlighted the difference between their respective political forces. "You advocate independence in Catalonia, we advocate living side-by-side".

The Acting President of the Government also stressed he will always advocate dialogue, negotiation and consensus, but that if the Regional Government of Catalonia "makes any attempt to violate the Statute of Autonomy and the Spanish Constitution again", then the government "will apply any article to defend the Constitution, the Statute, the law, national sovereignty and territorial integrity".

On another note, Pedro Sánchez called for a "sense of State" from the political forces so as to not continue blocking the formation of a government voted for by the Spanish people.

Spain, said the MP for the People's Party, Pablo Casado, needs moderation and stability in a period that Pedro Sánchez described as "critical" due to the imminent ruling from the Supreme Court on the pro-independence process, the signs of a slowdown in the economy and the withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union.

Non official translation