The decision of Catalonia's pro-independence CUP (Popular Unity Candidature) party to abstain from supporting the candidature of Jordi Sànchez as president of Catalonia, leaves the Catalan Parliament stalled, when the parliamentary voting numbers are examined.
The two other pro-independence groups JxCat (Together for Catalonia) and ERC (Catalan Republican Left) have a total of 66 votes in the Catalan parliament if one includes those of Carles Puigdemont and Toni Comín, who are exiled in Belgium and are in practice unable to attend parliament and not permitted to delegate their votes. The three parties of the unionist block along with the uncommitted Commons group sum 65 seats, and will thus have a majority if Puigdemont and Comín are unable to vote as is expected. The four deputies of the CUP give the majority to the pro-independence block when they vote with JxCat and ERC, but the opposite could occur if all four of them abstain.
To unblock the investiture process - which was given a new impetus on Friday when Carles Puigdemont stepped aside and Jordi Sànchez emerged as a new possible presidential candidate from the pro-independence block - the only option for guaranteeing a parliament vote in favour of Sànchez under the scenario of CUP abstention would be for the two deputies exiled in Belgium to renounce their seats, which could thus be assigned to other members of their parliamentary lists. This is an alternative which at present seems remote.