The independence candidate together to the presidency of the regional government of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemontadmitted this Tuesday that he “contemplates” being arrested when he returns to Spainbut not that they can “prevent” his investiture if he opts for it.
Puigdemont, who has established his temporary residence these days in the south of Francepresided over the Catalan Executive when in 2017 he promoted the unilateral declaration of independence, considered illegal by the Spanish Constitutional Court, after which he fled from the Spanish Justice and now heads the Junts candidacy for the regional elections next Sunday.
In the traditional cycle of press conferences with the candidates organized by the EFE Agency, Puigdemont stated that he gives “little chance” to this arrest, although he noted: «Knowing the Spanish judiciary, I don’t know if they can resist this drive to achieve an image that they have been desperately searching for».
“There may be a moment of arrest, but if the objective of the judicial action would be to interfere in the process of the Parlament – the Catalan Parliament -, they will no longer be able to do so”he added.
«That idea that they have always had, through the Penal Code and the judiciary, of preventing the Parliament from making decisions, they will not be able to do this now»he pointed.
Puigdemont made it clear that he will attend the investiture session, even if the precautionary measures that would imply his arrest have not been lifted, and it will then be the Justice that will “decide” if they have to imprison him.
But he was confident that they would not be able to prevent his inauguration thanks to the amnesty law being processed by the Spanish Parliament for those prosecuted for acts related to the independence movement.
In this case, Puigdemont explained that his legal team has “a fairly clear map of the legal defense action” that it would apply.
And he closed the door to returning to Catalonia coinciding with the electoral campaign to seek a “coup de effect.”
His party will celebrate the final act of the campaign with Puigdemont in Elna rather Barcelona as initially planned.
If the Catalan Parliament makes another candidate president, he reiterated that he does not see himself as head of the opposition.
In this regard, he ruled out offering a government pact to the also pro-independence CUP, whose votes were used to invest him as regional president in 2016, and urged the ERC Republicans to “clarify” whether they would participate in a “tripartite” with the socialist PSC and the party. from the left the common ones.
The PSC candidate, Salvador Illaassured on Monday that he sees it “possible” to govern alone or also in coalition with ERC and the commons.
Given the possibility, suggested by some polls, that the pro-independence forces do not gain an absolute majority, he indicated that he can still try to form “a government, if necessary, with a simple majority.”
With the latest polls unanimously predicting the victory of the socialist candidate and an upward trend for Puigdemont, the focus in this final stretch of the campaign is on the post-electoral pacts.
The uncertainty about whether Illa’s probable victory will be enough to be president fuels, in the ranks of Junts, the feeling that Puigdemont can challenge him for the investiture, as long as he obtains a considerable result and is then able to articulate the essential majority of parliamentary support. . EFE (I)
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