Former Catalonia President Carles Puigdemont made a surprising return to Spain after seven years of self-imposed exile, managing to upstage the vote for the new president of the region amid heightened security measures from police in Barcelona. Puigdemont had previously served as president of Catalonia in 2017 when he declared independence unilaterally, prompting the Spanish government to dismiss him and issue an arrest warrant. He then fled to Belgium.
The Catalan parliament gathered on Thursday with the intention to approve the election of Socialist Party candidate Salvador Illa, following months of negotiations with the separatist ERC party. However, Puigdemont’s sudden appearance outside the parliament before the session started garnered significant attention, as he delivered a five-minute televised speech.
In an announcement on X (formerly Twitter) on Wednesday, Puigdemont explained his decision to return, stating “I have to be there and I want to be there. That is why I have embarked on the return journey from exile.” His appearance outside the parliament surprised both police and media personnel who believed he would attempt entry into the building itself. Police had only left one entrance open at the Parc de la Ciutadella, where the parliament is located, and were checking all attendees’ credentials before allowing them to enter.
Puigdemont was not only able to deliver a speech outside but also managed to evade arrest following his appearance. As reported by local daily La Vanguardia, two members of the Catalan police have been detained on suspicion of helping Puigdemont escape. Earlier in the day, the autonomous region’s police—known as Mossos d’Esquadra—searched the entire parliament room by room, including the basement and sewers. They also sealed off the passage connecting the parliament building to the Barcelona Zoo.
Puigdemont had declined to run in June’s European Parliament elections in an effort to make another bid for the Catalan presidency but ultimately lost the vote to Illa. Following their deal last week, the Socialist candidate struck a pact with the separatists to form a minority government. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has somewhat neutralized the Catalan separatists’ movement by passing a comprehensive amnesty law last year, which sparked massive protests in Madrid from the opposition.