Felipe VI believes that tensions in Catalonia will ease off. That's the message the king himself gave to the spokesperson of Valencian party Compromís, Joan Baldoví, during his meetings with representatives of different political parties this Wednesday. The Spanish monarch expressed hope that, after an intense electoral cycle, "tensions will lower" in both Barcelona and Madrid. This comes one week before the end of the trial in the Supreme Court.
In a press conference after the meeting in the Zarzuela palace, Joan Baldoví said the king seemed "less worried" than previously. He also told the king he won't give Pedro Sánchez his vote to be reinvested as prime minister without first discussing the issue of funding of the Valencian Community.
The king today starting his meetings with representatives of each party which won seats in the Congress in April's general election, a prior step to investing a new prime minister. The likely candidate for investiture, acting PM Pedro Sánchez will be last to meet the king on Thursday afternoon. Earlier, at 10am, it will be the turn of JxCat's Laura Borràs after the Supreme Court denied Jordi Sànchez permission. As on other occasions, left-wing pro-independence parties ERC and EH Bildu will both refuse to attend.