Catalan separatists ERC says cannot back a Socialist-Podemos deal at this stage

Catalan separatist party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya(ERC) on Tuesday said that it was not ready, at this stage, to back a coalition government deal reached on Tuesday by the Socialists and the left-wing Unidas Podemos. "Right now our position is no," ERC spokeswoman Marta Vilalta told journalists, according to a translation from Catalan to Spanish by TVE broadcaster.

"If they want something from us they have to sit down and talk to solve a political conflict," in reference to the Catalan separatist independence movement. The Socialists' 120 seats, combined with the 35 won by Unidas Podemos, leave them short of a majority in the 350-seat parliament and therefore need to seek support from other parties.