Carles Puigdemont has abandoned his bid to be reappointed Catalonia's regional president and tapped an imprisoned politician to succeed him instead. Madrid, however, still sees problems with Puigdemont's solution.
Image: Reuters/Y. Herman
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Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont is giving up his candidacy for Catalonia’s regional presidency, he said in a video posted to social media on Thursday.
"I will not put myself forward as a candidate to be appointed regional president," Puigdemont said.
"We won't surrender, we won't give up," he said in the video, saying he hoped to shine international attention on the independence cause. "I know that the path we have ahead is long and fraught with difficulties."
Puigdemont said he planned to step aside temporarily to allow someone else to assume the presidency during his continued self-imposed exile in Belgium. He said the move is "the only way to create a new government" for Catalonia under the current circumstances.
Puigdemont tapped Jordi Sanchez to assume the candidacy. Sanchez is an influential pro-independence campaigner who is currently in jail in Madrid on charges of sedition.
Sanchez is the former leader of the pro-independence movement called the Catalan National Assembly (ANC)Image: Imago/Agencia EFE/A. Dalmau
In the video, Puigdemont called it unconstitutional to continue holding Catalan politicians in jail over their calls for the region's independence.
Lawmakers in Catalonia’s separatist-dominated regional parliament had spent the day proclaiming Puigdemont as their legitimate leader, in defiance of Spain's Constitutional Court ruling that he can't take office. The court said the regional president must physically be in parliament to take office. Puigdemont has said he fears he will be arrested if he returns to Spain.
Various Spanish media outlets had pondered whether Thursday’s parliamentary motion was a first step in appointing a presidential candidate other than Puigdemont, and at the same time offering him a "symbolic" role from Belgium.
But the appointment of 53-year-old Sanchez would be problematic given that he has been in jail for more than four months. The Supreme Court has so far rejected all petitions for bail. Rumors of his appointment previously prompted the Minister of Justice, Rafael Catala, to say it was difficult to imagine a president who was "in prison."
Madrid has been directly ruling Catalonia since Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy took control of the region after it illegally declared independence in October. On Thursday Rajoy said Catalonia must choose a leader "who is in Spain... and who has no problems with the law."
Rajoy is due to chair a cabinet meeting on Friday to discuss the latest developments to see if they could be brought to the Constitutional Court, Spanish news agency EFE reported.
Human rights case
Puigdemont said in the video that he had assembled a team of lawyers to represent him at the United Nations Human Rights Committee. He claims that Spain violated the right of self-determination.
aw/sms (Reuters, dpa, AFP, EFE)
Catalonia declares independence from Spain
The Catalan parliament declared independence from Spain on October 27 after a month-long standoff with Madrid. Within the hour, the Spanish Senate had ordered the central government to impose direct rule on the region.
Image: picture-alliance/Zuma Press/M. Oesterle
The declaration
As the world watched, Catalonia's parliament voted 70 to 10 for the region to declare its independence from Spain. "Our legitimate parliament has taken a very important step. This is the people's mandate," Puigdemont said after the decision. Dozens of opposition lawmakers from the Socialist Party, Citizens Party and Popular Party had walked out of the parliament chamber to boycott the vote.
Image: Getty Images/D. ramos
The despair
Within an hour of the Catalan vote, the Spanish Senate in Madrid passed a bill to trigger Article 155 of the Spanish constitution. The measure will allow the central government to suspend Catalonia's autonomy. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he would sack Catalonia’s government and set new regional elections for December 21.
Image: Reuters/S. Vera
The dismissal
European leaders were quick to condemn the independence declaration. EU Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the Union "doesn't need any more cracks," while EU Council President Donald Tusk said Madrid "remains our only interlocutor." Leaders in Germany, France, Italy and the UK voiced their support for Madrid. The US also chimed in, saying "Catalonia is an integral part of Spain."
Image: Reuters/D. Pignatelli
The dispute
Barcelona and Madrid had been in a standoff since 93 percent of voters opted for Catalan independence in an October 1 referendum marred by police violence. Spain said the poll was illegal and stressed the low voter turnout of 43 percent. It subsequently threatened to suspend the region's autonomy if Catalan leaders did not stop their drive for independence.
Image: picture-alliance/newscom/UPI/A. Garcia
The defiance
Many had expected tensions to ease on October 26 when Catalan President Carles Puigdemont was expected to call snap elections to bow to a key Spanish government demand. But Puigdemont refused, saying that he did not have enough "guarantees" from Madrid. Instead, he called on the Catalan parliament to decide on how to respond to Spain's threat to suspend the region's autonomy.
Image: Reuters/Y. Herman
The dream
Tens of thousands of pro-independence protesters had taken to the streets of Barcelona ahead of the independence declaration to demand the region's secession and the release of two leaders of pro-independence organizations, Jordi Cuixart and Jordi Sanchez. Independence has divided Catalonia. Many who supported continued unity with Spain refused to vote in the October 1 referendum.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/S. Palacios
The delight
The pro-independence crowds outside the Catalan parliament immediately rejoiced after hearing the independence declaration. Many people were draped in the "Estelada" flag associated with Catalan independence. Some reportedly called for the Spanish flag to be removed from the Catalan government palace as regional lawmakers arrived from the parliament. (Author: Alexander Pearson)
