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WORLD NEWS Friday 1 November 2019

With eyes on Catalonia, Spain campaigns for Nov. 10 election

By ARITZ PARRA port grows for the conser- Vox has gone one step fur-
Associated Press vative opposition Popular ther, calling for suspending
MADRID (AP) — Hours be- Party and the surging Vox the region's self-govern-
fore the start of campaign- far-right party. ment and outlawing sepa-
ing for Nov. 10 national Campaigning officially ratist parties.
elections, Spain's interim starts at midnight Thurs- In April, Vox became the
justice minister on Thurs- day. It will only last 8 days first Spanish nationalist
day urged parties to refrain after the electoral law party to enter parliament
from exploiting tension in was changed to avoid a in nearly four decades. Its
the country's restive Cata- splurge of funds in the case leaders chose a town near
lonia region to reap politi- of a repeated ballot. Barcelona to hold their first
cal benefits. The debate is expected to campaign rally on Thursday
Spanish parties "should be focus on Catalonia. evening.
capable of not turning The crisis over roughly half Sánchez's government has
(Catalonia) into a partisan of the region's 5.5 million refused to talk to the re-
or electoral issue" and be voters' desire to secede gion's separatist leaders un- Supporters of right wing VOX party hold Spanish flags during a
"loyal to the state," Dolores from Spain revived this til they explicitly condemn speech of their leader Santiago Abascal in a campaign rally in
Delgado told The Associ- month with protests — the rioting and listen to Barcelona, Spain, Thursday, Oct. 31, 2019.
ated Press in an interview. many marred by violence Catalans who oppose se- Associated Press
She added that only ex- — over the imprisonment of cession.
tremists would gain from separatist leaders. Delgado, the justice min- those in favor and those she said. "But with violence,
further tension. The rioting, mostly in the ister, said that by convict- against independence, that is impossible."q
Spain's fourth general elec- northeastern region's capi- ing the leaders of the 2017
tion since 2015 follows tal of Barcelona, left more independence bid the
failed negotiations to form than 600 people injured country's top court dealt
a government between and police arrested dozens only with the part of the cri-
the Socialists — who came of protesters. sis where Catalan leaders
first in the last, April 28 elec- The right-wing opposition used their power to "break
tion — and the anti-aus- has accused Sánchez of the legal order." "But there
terity Podemos (We Can) relying on the separatists' is also a political problem.
party. votes to gain office and are There is a problem of dia-
Interim prime minister Pe- calling for a heavier hand logue. We must establish
dro Sánchez, the Socialist to crush what they call a the norms for developing
leader, is ahead in the polls "coup d'état" by Catalan that dialogue to re-estab-
but has lost steam as sup- separatists. lish coexistence" between

UN keeps Darfur peacekeepers but

hopes for their departure

Associated Press country's development. sador Jonathan Allen told
UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The British and German- the council the resolution
The Security Council has drafted resolution adopted responds to a request from
voted unanimously to keep Thursday asks Secretary- the new government "to
the joint U.N.-African Union General Antonio Guterres avoid any security vacuum
peacekeeping force in to provide a report to the in Darfur."
Darfur for another year in council by Jan. 31 assessing He said it also sends "a
hopes the new civilian-led the situation on the ground clear message" to all
transitional government and the peace process, armed groups to seize the
can restore peace, and the and outlining options for a opportunity to establish a
troops can be replaced by follow-on mission. comprehensive peace in
civilians who focus on the Britain's deputy ambas- Darfur.q