Spain to impose direct rule on Catalonia if ex-leader Carles Puigdemont tries to govern from Brussels
Updated
Spain will continue to rule the regional administration of Catalonia directly from Madrid in the event that its self-exiled former leader Carles Puigdemont is chosen as president by the Catalan Parliament, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has said.
Key points:
- Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont faces arrest and possibly decades in jail if he returns to Spain
- Separatists are exploring the possibility of him ruling the region remotely via videolink — an idea PM Rajoy says is "absurd"
- Parliament will meet on January 17 to choose the committee that rules its day-to-day activities
Mr Puigdemont fled to Brussels in October after Mr Rajoy fired him as Catalonia's leader after he declared an independent republic following an unrecognised referendum.
He faces arrest and possibly decades in jail if he returns to Spain.
With only days before Catalonia's Parliament convenes to elect a new regional government, separatists said Mr Puigdemont was their candidate to lead the region again.
They are exploring the possibility he could do so by video link from Brussels. But Mr Rajoy on Monday poured scorn on the idea.
"It's absurd that someone aspires to be president of the Catalan regional government as a fugitive in Brussels — it's a case of common sense," he said.
If Mr Puigdemont tried to attend the parliamentary vote for a new head of region from Brussels, the Spanish Government would challenge his appearance immediately in the courts, he said.
Mr Rajoy said if Mr Puigdemont was re-elected, constitutional powers invoked by the Government in October to impose direct rule on the region would continue to apply.
Mr Rajoy had called regional elections in December to try and resolve the political crisis that led to an exodus of companies from the region.
However, the election returned a slim majority to parties favouring independence, raising the possibility of a renewed push for a split from Spain this year.
The Parliament will meet for the first time on January 17 to choose the committee that rules its day-to-day activities.
A new leader could be voted in by Parliament as early as January 31.
Reuters
Topics: government-and-politics, political-parties, world-politics, spain
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