Former Catalan leader calls for talks with Spain after ballot win
FORMER Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont has called for talks with the Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy following a regional election in Catalonia in which pro-independence parties retained a parliamentary majority.
Mr 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 opened up “a new era” for Catalonia.
He said he was ready to meet Mr Rajoy without pre-conditions anywhere in the European Union other than Spain.
Referring to the poll results, he said: “More than two million people are in favour of Catalonia’s independence.
“Recognising reality is vital if we are to find a solution.”
He added that he would return to Barcelona if the new parliament elects him as regional leader, although the legal protections he would have as an elected leader are unclear.
Mr Rajoy called the snap election after Catalan separatists declared independence in October following a referendum deemed illegal by Spanish authorities.
Many were shocked by scenes in which Spanish police attacked voters and removed ballot papers from polling stations, seeing what happened as reminiscent of the kind of repressive measures used during the long rule of fascist dictator Francisco Franco, who ruled Spain from 1939 until his death in 1975.
The Spanish PM also sacked the Catalan government that Mr Puigdemont ran and dissolved its parliament. He has ruled out independence for the wealthy north-eastern Spanish region, saying it is unconstitutional.
In the election the unionist Ciutadans (Citizens) party collected most votes – but three separatist parties won 70 of the 135 seats in the region’s parliament.
Mr Puigdemont’s Together for Catalonia won 34 seats, the left-wing republican ERC party got 32, and the radical, anti-capitalist CUP four.
Mr Rajoy’s conservative Popular Party came last with just three seats in what was a major blow to Spain’s governing party.
The separatists’ five-seat parliamentary majority will allow them to negotiate the formation of a government. Past squabbles between them suggest this will not necessarily be easy.
Fernando Vallespin, a professor of political studies at Madrid’s Autonomous University, said there were many unpredictable factors clouding the immediate future of Catalonia, including the legal issues and whether the separatist parties can find common ground.
However, a reminder of the separatists’ legal woes came when a judge investigating them for leading an illegal independence push in October announced that the rebellion and sedition probe will be extended to six more Catalan politicians.
Plaid Cymru AM Adam Price, who visited the region during the run-up to October’s referendum, said: “Madrid’s tactic of using a snap election to weaken the mandate of the pro-independence parties in Catalonia has clearly failed.
“They must now abandon their strategy of force and intimidation and begin face-to-face talks to find a negotiated solution to the Catalan crisis.”
Mr Rajoy said he expects a “new era based on dialogue” to begin in Catalonia.
The Spanish PM said during a news conference that the election’s outcome showed a diversity of views exist in Catalonia, which compel the new government to abide by the law.
He said he will talk with the region’s new leaders so long as they do not violate Spain’s constitution.
It was also a blow to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who as a result of the separatists’ defiance ousted the Catalan Cabinet and called the early election hoping to keep them out of power.
Instead, the election’s outcome favoured the fugitive Carles Puigdemont, who campaigned from Belgium where he is evading a Spanish judicial probe into the attempt to split from Spain.
The investigation could lead to charges of rebellion and sedition that carry penalties of decades in prison.
Mr Puigdemont, who got the most votes of any separatist candidate, greeted the results with delight and called them a rebuke to Spain’s central government.
“The Spanish state has been defeated,” Mr Puigdemont said. “Mariano Rajoy has received a slap in the face from Catalonia.”
The other main winner was Ines Arrimadas, the leading unionist candidate. Scoring 25% of the votes, her probusiness Ciutadans (Citizens) party won 37 seats, which will be the biggest single bloc in the regional assembly.
“The pro-secession forces can never again claim they speak for all of Catalonia,” she said, promising her party