Carles Puigdemont humiliated the Spanish government on Thursday. At least that’s what the right-wing opposition in Madrid thinks. The former president of the regional government, who fled abroad seven years ago after organizing an illegal referendum on independence, has reappeared in Barcelona. But after a brief public appearance before his supporters, he went into hiding, avoiding police arrest.
Barcelona will remain part of Spain. Catalans do not believe in independence and separatists are divided
In reality, it was just a desperate attempt to stay in the game by Puigdemont, who is the leader of the pro-independence group Junts (Together for Catalonia). On the same Thursday, the Barcelona parliament, for the first time in 20 years, appointed the socialist Salvador Illa, a supporter of Catalonia remaining in the kingdom, as president of the regional government. He obtained a majority because the socialists of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who won the last elections in the province, were joined by the second most important pro-independence party, the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), alongside Junts.
The separatist movement has split because some of it no longer believes that an open confrontation with Madrid will lead to the creation of an independent state. Polls show that only 5% of Catalans believe they will one day live in an independent country. 39.5% of those surveyed would like to, which is much lower than those who remain loyal to the crown (52.5%). And only 3,500 people came to hear Puigdemont speak on Thursday. people.
How Pedro Sánchez tamed the Catalans
Unlike his predecessor, the conservative Mariano Rajoy, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez decided to engage in dialogue with the Catalans, which has proved beneficial for Spain. In the spring, he promoted an amnesty for pro-independence activists. This caused fierce protests in the country, because many saw it as defending the prime minister’s interests at the expense of those of the state (a socialist would not have a majority in parliament without the support of the Junts). However, Puigdemont still faces prison because the Supreme Court ruled that the amnesty did not cover the charges of financial embezzlement against the former head of the regional government.
