Spain's Catalonia set to get another leftist government

Nov 6, 2006, 13:37 GMT

Barcelona - The prosperous northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia appeared set to get another leftist government Monday as three left-leaning parties started negotiations to form a coalition.

The centre-right Catalan nationalist party Convergence and Union (CiU) took the most votes in Wednesday's regional elections, but did not get an absolute majority.

The separatist party Esquerra Republicana (ERC) became a power- broker and decided to give its backing to the Socialists, who are seeking to renew their previous coalition with the ERC and the ecologist ICV.

Catalonia was governed by CiU for 23 years until 2003, when the Socialists were voted in. Their three-party coalition fell apart when the ERC opposed Catalonia's new autonomy statute, arguing it did not go far enough in extending the region's self-rule.

Regional prime minister Pasqual Maragall had to call early elections and was replaced by a new Socialist candidate, former industry minister Jose Montilla, who was closer to Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero.

If the ongoing negotiations are successful, Montilla would become regional premier and ERC leader Josep Lluis Carod-Rovira possibly his deputy.

The Socialists' alliance with the ERC has caused concern in Spain, where especially the conservatives fear regional separatist strivings.

Catalonia, a region of 7 million residents, contributes about 20 per cent of Spain's gross domestic product (GDP).