Carles Puigdemont, the leader-in-exile of Catalonia’s separatist movement, returned to the Spanish region today for the first time since 2017, despite facing an arrest warrant issued by national authorities. Puigdemont gave a speech at a separatist rally in central Barcelona before fleeing the scene, prompting police to launch a manhunt for him across the city. (New York Times)
Our Take
Puigdemont has been in self-imposed exile since 2017, when as Catalonia’s regional president he led the charge to hold an illegal independence referendum. The voting ended up taking place amid scenes of violence and chaos, as the national government forcibly tried to prevent it. Madrid then issued a warrant for Puigdemont’s arrest, and despite a subsequent general amnesty for crimes related to the referendum—more on that later—he still faces charges that the amnesty may not cover.
Puigdemont’s dramatic return to Barcelona, then, is surprising—some might even say courageous. But it is also an act of desperation. Since his departure in 2017, the salience of Catalan independence has receded substantially, with support for secession not as strong in the region anymore. That was on display in the most recent regional elections in May, in which separatist parties failed to win an absolute majority in the Catalan parliament for the first time in decades.