Catalonia’s ousted leader has called for all of the region’s pro-independence parties to unite against Spain’s ‘brutal repression’ as a poll shows they would hold a majority if they joined forces.
Carles Puigdemont, who went into went into exile in Belgium last month, urged political groups to stand together against Madrid’s actions or see the Spanish state ‘win this fight’.
The 54-year-old has just hours remaining to agree terms for an electoral pact with other pro-independence parties. Polls suggest secessionist parties would win enough votes combined to hold a slim majority in the Catalan parliament.
Meanwhile, around 200 Catalan mayors who are in favour of independence travelled to Brussels today to back Puigdemont and defend the Catalan cause in the European capital. They were due to hold a rally at 5pm.
Catalonia’s ousted leader, Carles Puigdemont (pictured durig a radio inerview today), has called for all of the region’s pro-independence parties to unite against Spain’s ‘brutal repression’ as a poll shows they would hold a majority if they joined forces
Carles Puigdemont, who went into went into exile in Belgium last month, urged political groups to stand together against Madrid’s actions or see the Spanish state ‘win this fight’. Puigdemont and former regional Catalan ministers took part in an interview with Monica Terriba (right) for the radio programme ‘El Mati’ in Brussels today
Puigdemont and other secessionist leaders face charges of rebellion, sedition, misuse of public funds, disobedience and breach of public trust for organising an illegal independence referendum on October 1 and later proclaiming a Catalan republic, something that goes against Spain’s constitution.
In an interview with Catalunya Radio on Tuesday, Puigdemont said all parties standing in the region should unite against Madrid’s actions.
He also called on the Spanish government to suspend article 155, which Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy enacted last month to rule Catalonia directly from Madrid, ahead of the December vote.
‘The ideal would be a broad regional list of parties… PDeCAT, CUP, (left-wing) Podemos, ERC… that stand for democracy and freedom.’ Puigdemont said.
‘The Spanish state is committing a brutal repression … If we don’t battle repression together, the Spanish state may win this fight.’
Spain’s central government fired Puigdemont’s secessionist administration, dissolved the Catalan parliament and called an election in the region for December 21.
The 54-year-old has just hours remaining to agree terms for an electoral pact with other pro-independence parties. Polls suggest secessionist parties would win enough votes combined to hold a slim majority in the Catalan parliament
In an interview with Catalunya Radio on Tuesday, Puigdemont said all parties standing in the region should unite against Madrid’s actions
Madrid also issued an arrest warrant against him on charges including rebellion, but a Brussels court ruled on Monday he could remain at liberty in Belgium until it had decided whether he should be extradited.
The independence push has deeply divided the country, dragging it into its worst political crisis since its return to democracy four decades ago and fuelling anti-Spanish feelings in Catalonia and nationalist tendencies elsewhere.
Pro-independence parties want the December vote to become a de facto independence referendum, and Puigdemont’s PDeCAT and the ERC party led by Oriol Junqueras said at the weekend they might contest it on a combined ticket.
But they must register any alliance by the end of Tuesday, and prospects of them bridging their differences in time looked slim.
ERC’s spokesman Sergi Sabria said on Monday his party did not rule out a coalition with PDeCAT, but would agree only if other parties joined them, including the anti-capitalist CUP which has yet to decide whether it will contest the December ballot.