Carles Puigdemont has returned after seven years in self-imposed exile to crash the vote for the brand new president of Spain’s Catalonia area, whilst police in Barcelona tightened safety to seek out him.
Puigdemont was president of Catalonia in 2017 when he unilaterally declared independence. The Spanish authorities responded by sacking him and ordering his arrest, so he fled to Belgium.
The Catalan parliament convened on Thursday to approve the election of Socialist Social gathering candidate Salvador Illa, after months of negotiations with the separatist ERC social gathering. The vote was upstaged by Puigdemont, who appeared outdoors the parliament earlier than the session started and gave a five-minute televised speech.
“I’ve to be there and I wish to be there. That’s the reason I’ve launched into the return journey from exile,” Puigdemont mentioned Wednesday on X (previously Twitter).
His stunt outdoors the parliament apparently stunned each police and the media, who have been underneath the impression he would attempt to enter the constructing. Police had blocked all however one entrance to the Parc de la Ciutadella, the place the parliament is situated, and checked everybody’s credentials earlier than they may enter.
Puigdemont was not solely capable of give a speech outdoors, nonetheless, however disappear afterward and evade arrest. In keeping with the native every day La Vanguardia, two members of the Catalan police have been detained on suspicion of serving to the separatist chief escape.
Earlier within the day, the autonomous area’s police – generally known as Mossos d’Esquadra – searched your entire parliament room by room. In keeping with Politico EU, in addition they checked the basement and searched the sewers, whereas additionally sealing the passage that connects the parliament constructing to the Barcelona Zoo.
Puigdemont declined to run in June’s European Parliament elections so as to make one other bid at Catalan presidency, however misplaced the vote to Illa. The Socialist struck a take care of the separatists to kind a minority authorities final week.
Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez has neutralized the Catalan separatists, at the least for now, by passing a sweeping amnesty legislation final 12 months. The opposition responded by organizing huge protests in Madrid.
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