Carles Puigdemont, former President of Catalonia and leader of Junts per Catalunya, announced on the social media platform X that he plans to return to Catalonia for the investiture debate of Salvador Illa.
Puigdemont had been residing in Belgium, and more recently, the south of France for the past seven years due to Spanish arrest warrants following the 2017 independence referendum.
Public reaction and security measures
In anticipation of Puigdemont’s return, his party and the Consell de la República have called for a public gathering in Barcelona. However, Puigdemont’s return faces legal obstacles, as the Catalan police, Mossos d’Esquadra, have plans to secure the Parliament building to prevent his entry and execute his arrest based on existing warrants.
According to Politico.eu, police have even searched the sewers, and agents have sealed a door that connects the parliament — a formal arsenal and royal palace — with the Barcelona Zoo, which surrounds the building on three sides.
Puigdemont’s statement
In a video posted on X, Puigdemont emphasised the abnormality of the situation. “In normal democratic conditions, for an MP like me to announce his intention to attend that session would be unnecessary. It would be irrelevant. But ours are not normal democratic conditions,” he stated.
He criticised the ongoing political persecution and the Supreme Court’s refusal to comply with the amnesty law. ” I am convinced that there is no other path to democratic normality than the end of political repression, an end that is contemplated in the letter and in the spirit of the amnesty law,” Puigdemont argued.
The implications for Illa’s investiture
The investiture of Salvador Illa, backed by PSC, ERC, and Comuns, is scheduled for Thursday at 10.00 am. As reported by Publico.es, according to the Catalan Parliament’s regulations, the session can be suspended for only 24 hours once the candidate begins their speech. This rule adds a layer of complexity to the potential arrest of Puigdemont, which could disrupt the proceedings.
A day of high political tension
The day is expected to be politically charged, with calls for public demonstrations from both Puigdemont’s supporters and opponents. The far-right party Vox has also mobilised its base to confront Puigdemont’s return. As tensions rise, the political landscape in Catalonia faces significant uncertainty.
Puigdemont ended his speech by saying, “That I can attend the parliament (of Catalonia) should be normal. That to do so risks an arrest that would be arbitrary and illegal is evidence of the democratic anomaly that we have the duty to denounce and fight, not because we are pro-independence, but because we are democrats”.