Leaders of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), a left-wing party , fighting for an independent Catalonia, and the Socialists of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez reached an agreement in principle to form a new regional government, an ERK spokesman said in a statement last night, quoted by DPA and BTA.
Salvador Illa, whose Socialists became the biggest force in the local parliament in early elections in May, could become the new head of Catalonia's regional government.
If confirmed, Ila will be the first politician in a long time to take office while opposing the secession of the region, DPA notes.