The PSOE opened the door to enabling Junts per Catalunya and Esquerra Republicana to have their own group in the Congress of Deputies. The socialists admit it would be a good way to start negotiations with the pro-independence movement, and thus lay the first stone on the road to Pedro Sánchez's investiture. It would therefore be, as radio RAC1 announced, the PSOE's first gesture towards the pro-independence movement in this legislature, and it would happen mid-August, specifically on the 17th, when the Spanish Parliament is constituted.
This manoeuvre, according to ElNacional.cat, is not considered a done deal by any of the three parties, but the PSOE believes it could be accomplished. After all, socialist sources say absolute “discretion” is needed in the negotiations with Junts per Catalunya for them to be successful, for both parties to be satisfied, and for Pedro Sánchez to be voted in as Spanish prime minister. But above all, they would need patience and letting the results of the July 23rd general elections “rest”. This is what members of the Spanish government and the PSOE have been saying all week. In fact, the socialists are also crossing their fingers so the “two souls” which exist in Carles Puigdemont's party make things easier for the socialists, but do not provoke internal conflict within the party.
The Spanish Congress of Deputies' rules stipulate that a minimum of 15 MPs can form their own group. Neither Junts per Catalunya nor Esquerra Republicana meet this condition. The alternative is also to form a group if they have five or more MPs and at the same time obtain 15% of the votes in the constituencies where they presented their candidacy. They do not fulfil this condition either. And they are even further from fulfilling the third alternative: having 5% of the votes cast in the whole of Spain.
Specifically, the July 23rd general election results for these two parties were as follows: they only obtained 7 MPs, which makes the first of the two options impossible. Although they do have more than 5 MPs, they have not reached the minimum 15% in the four Catalan constituencies either. Esquerra Republicana obtained 12.33% in Barcelona, 15.07% in Tarragona, 14.74% in Girona, and 18.62% in Lleida. Junts per Catalunya obtained 9.68% in Barcelona, 11.08% in Tarragona, 19.60% in Girona, and 18.04% in Lleida.
At the same time, the final count of postal votes cast abroad will take place this Friday, which could lead to some parties gaining a few more (or fewer, of course) representatives. This also applies to Junts per Catalunya and Esquerra Republicana. However, it should be stressed that they have less than half of the seats needed to use the first option: 15 seats in the Congress of Deputies.