Ex-Catalan leader calls for talks with Spain
BARCELONA, SPAIN — The former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont called Friday for talks with his adversary, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, in the wake of snap regional elections that gave pro-independence parties a parliamentary majority.
Rajoy ignored the fugitive leader’s direct appeal for a meeting, declaring instead that a “new era based on dialogue” begins in the restive region and vowing to speak to its new leaders as long as they don’t violate Spain’s Constitution.
“I will make an effort to dialogue with the government that forms in Catalonia, but I expect it to stop acting unilaterally and outside the law,” Rajoy told a press briefing.
Puigdemont, who fled Spain almost two months ago to avoid arrest after going against court rulings and pushing for unilateral Catalan independence, said in Brussels that Thursday’s election also opened “a new era” for Catalonia.
At his own news conference, Puigdemont said he was ready to meet with Rajoy without preconditions anywhere in the European Union other than Spain.
“More than two million people are in favour of Catalonia’s independence,” Puigdemont said, referring to the election results. “Recognizing reality is vital if we are to find a solution,” he added.
Puigdemont also said that he’d return to Catalonia if the new parliament elects him as regional leader, though the legal protections he would have as an elected leader are unclear.
Rajoy called the snap election after Puigdemont and his followers declared Catalonia’s independence in October following a referendum that was deemed illegal by authorities. In response, Rajoy fired the Catalan government that Puigdemont ran and dissolved its parliament. Rajoy has ruled out independence for the wealthy northeastern Spanish region, saying it is unconstitutional.
Acknowledging that unionist parties failed to win a majority Thursday, Rajoy said the results also underscored the region’s diversity.
“It’s evident that Catalonia is not monolithic, it’s diverse and we should all respect that as a virtue,” the prime minister said on Friday.
He added that he wasn’t planning to call early national elections given the bad results of his own party in the region.
Asked whether he would accept a meeting with Puigdemont, Rajoy said he would seek a meeting with Ines Arrimadas, the candidate that won most votes.
Though Arrimadas’ pro-Spain Ciutadans (Citizens) collected most votes in the ballot, it was a bittersweet victory for the business-friendly party as the proindependence parties won most seats in the Catalan parliament.