Ousted Catalan leader accepts new election
Puigdemont’s announcement signalled that the Madrid government had for now at least gained the upper hand in the protracted struggle over Catalonia
BRUSSELS: Catalonia’s ousted leader Carles Puigdemont on Tuesday accepted the snap election called by Spain’s central government when it took control of the region to block its push for independence.
Puigdemont, speaking at a news conference in Brussels, also said he was not seeking asylum in Belgium after Spain’s state prosecutor recommended charges for rebellion and sedition be brought against him.
He would return to Catalonia when given “guarantees” by the Spanish government, he said.
Puigdemont’s announce- ment that he would accept the regional election on December 21 signalled that the Madrid government had for now at least gained the upper hand in the protracted struggle over Catalonia, a wealthy northeastern region that already had considerable autonomy.
Direct control
Resistance to Madrid’s imposition of direct control on Catalonia failed to materialise at the start of the week and the secessionist leadership is in disarray.
Spain’s Constitutional Court on Tuesday blocked the unilateral declaration of independence made by the regional parliament on Friday - a largely symbolic move that gained no traction and led to the assembly’s dismissal by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy less than an hour after it was made.
“I ask the Catalan people to prepare for a long road. Democracy will be the foundation of our victory,” Puigdemont said in Brussels, where he showed up after dropping out of sight over the weekend.
The Spanish government has said Puigdemont was welcome to take his chances and stand in the election, called by Rajoy as a way to resolve the stand-off.
Rajoy, who has taken an uncompromising stance throughout the battle of wills over Catalonia, is gambling on antiindependence parties taking power in the regional parliament and putting the brakes on the independence drive. Full story @ timesofoman.com/world