Catalan pro-independence leader Carles Puigdemont, whose deputies in Spain are vital to Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez if he is to be returned to power, on Tuesday demanded an "amnesty" for pro-independence activists facing prosecution in exchange for his support.
Speaking to the press in Brussels, Puigdemont, a central figure in Catalonia’s secession attempt in 2017, demanded "the complete and effective abandonment of the judicial route against the pro-independence movement" via an "amnesty law".
The Catalan conservative is wanted by the Spanish judiciary and fled to Belgium in 2017 to escape prosecution.
Once this and other conditions have been met, Puigdemont is calling for the opening of negotiations with a view to reaching a "historic agreement" on Catalonia’s future, which he says must involve holding a referendum on self-determination.
The parliamentary elections in Spain on 23 July failed to produce a majority. Coming second in the poll, the Socialist Pedro Sánchez has the most chances of gathering a majority in Parliament to form a government and be returned to power.
But for that, Sanchez needs the votes of the 7 MPs from Puigdemont’s party.
Catalan leader in exile Carles Puigdemont pictured during a press conference, in Brussels, Tuesday 05 September 2023. Catalan politician in exile Puigdemont has been living in exile in Belgium since October 2017. Credit: Belga / James Arthur Gekiere
Puigdemont, who is at the centre of all the attention, as demonstrated on Monday by the visit paid to him in Brussels by the leading figure in the Sánchez government, Yolanda Diaz, leader of the Spanish left-wing alliance and coalition partner, Sumar.
This visit was the first paid to Puigdemont by a member of the government since he left Spain in 2017.
Winner of the legislative elections, Sánchez’s conservative rival, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has been instructed by King Felipe VI to present his candidacy for the post of prime minister to parliament. The debates and vote will take place on 26 and 27 September. But Feijóo's chances are slim.
After the expected failure of the leader of the Popular Party (PP), Sánchez would have two months to try in turn to be invested. If he fails in turn, new elections would be called, probably in mid-January.
