Catalan parliament postpones re-election of fugitive leader

The sudden suspension also exposed divisions among separatists, with Puigdemont’s party caught off guard by it and even the former Catalan leader expressing open disappointment in a video released on social media late Tuesday.

“My intentions remain intact,” Puigdemont said in the video, calling for pro-independence lawmakers to remain unified in the goal of his re-election. “There is no other possible candidate o other possible arithmetic combination,” he added.

Earlier in the day, the chamber’s speaker had defended the move to postpone the plenary while remaining loyal to Puigdemont.

“I am not going to propose a candidate other than Puigdemont,” Torrent said. “President Puigdemont has all the right to be elected.”

“The Spanish government and the constitutional court aim to violate the rights of millions of Catalans and this we will not accept,” he added.

Spain’s government welcomed Torrent’s decision. An official speaking anonymously in line with government rules said that pressure applied by the government and the country’s top court “have prevented a mockery of our democracy.”

Earlier, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy urged the Catalan parliament to drop Puigdemont’s candidacy and opt for a “clean candidate” who was willing to restore normalcy in Catalonia, a region of 7.5 million inhabitants that represents a fifth of Spain’s gross domestic product.

Puigdemont is one of more than a dozen Catalan political figures facing possible rebellion and sedition charges following the previous parliament’s illegal and unsuccessful declaration of independence in October, which brought Spain’s worst political crisis in decades to a head.

Spain seized control of the region by firing Puigdemont and his government and dissolving parliament following the independence declaration. It says it will keep control until a new government takes office following elections held Dec. 21.

Dozens of extra police were deployed outside the parliament building in central Barcelona and helicopters hovered overhead in a bid to detect Puigdemont if he tried to turn up clandestinely. Border controls have also been stepped in recent days.

Several hundred pro-independence supporters rallied near a park surrounding the building, many donning Puigdemont masks. The demonstration was largely peaceful, but some participants broke through police cordons into the park and made their way to parliament’s gates, producing brief clashes with anti-riot police,

The protesters shouted slogans in support of Puigdemont and Catalonia’s independence. Their numbers dwindled after dusk, but around 100 people set up camp and planned to spend the night near the regional parliament.

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Ciaran Giles reported from Madrid. Aritz Parra contributed to this report from Madrid.

Joseph Wilson And Ciaran Giles, The Associated Press

by Canadian Press

Catalan parliament postpones re-election of fugitive leader

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