Carles Puigdemont, the former leader of Catalonia who fled Spain over his role in a failed 2017 independence bid for the wealthy region, returned on Thursday, August 8, after seven years on the run and despite a pending arrest warrant. Puigdemont shouted "Long live a free Catalonia!" as he climbed onto a stage in Barcelona to address thousands gathered near the Catalan regional parliament which is set to elect a new leader later in the day. "I have come here to remind you that we are still here," he said as many in the crowd waved red, yellow and blue Catalan independence flags.
After his brief address, Puigdemont appeared to head toward the Catalan parliament but the assembly began an investiture vote to pick a new leader for the region without him being present. A small group of protesters gathered nearby waving Spanish flags and holding signs that read "Catalonia is Spain" in a demonstration organized by far-right party Vox.
Puigdemont's dramatic return came just days after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's Socialists struck a deal with moderate Catalan separatist party ERC – which competes with Puigdemont's more hardline JxCAT – to make the Socialist candidate, Salvador Illa, the next head of the Catalan regional government. The Socialists won the most seats in a regional election in May but failed to get a majority and the support of the ERC is crucial. If a new Catalan regional government is not formed by August 26, fresh elections will be held in October.
Puigdemont led the regional government of Catalonia in 2017 when it pushed ahead with an independence referendum despite a court ban, which was followed by a short-lived declaration of independence. He fled the country shortly after the independence bid to avoid prosecution and has since lived in Belgium and more recently France.
While Spain's parliament in May passed an amnesty law for those involved in the botched secession bid, the Supreme Court ruled on July 1 that the measure would not fully apply to Puigdemont. In a video posted on social network X on Wednesday to announce his imminent return to attend the investiture vote, Puigdemont accused Spanish authorities of "a long persecution". "This challenge must be answered and confronted," he added.