Former Catalan president demands amnesty for independence leaders

The former president of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, has demanded an amnesty for independence leaders facing legal action in exchange for his party’s support for either of Spain’s two main political forces as they compete to form a new government.

An inconclusive July general election has raised the possibility of a repeat ballot in the coming months if neither the conservative Popular Party (PP) or the Socialist Party is able to gain the parliamentary support needed to win an investiture vote.

The PP of Alberto Núñez Feijóo won the election but fell short of a majority even though it has the support of the far-right Vox. The Socialists of serving prime minister Pedro Sánchez performed better than expected and appear to have a marginally stronger chance of forming a majority provided an array of Catalan and Basque nationalist parties lend their backing.

Among those parties is the pro-independence Together for Catalonia (JxCat) of Mr Puigdemont, who is living in self-exile in Belgium. Although he is an MEP and is no longer the party’s leader he remains its most visible and powerful figure.

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“We are prepared for [repeat] elections,” Mr Puigdemont told a press conference in Brussels. “But we are also prepared for a negotiation that could lead to a historic pact.”

He said his party’s support for one of the two main Spanish parties depended on whether either of them would agree to an amnesty for pro-independence Catalans who are still facing legal action for their role in a failed bid for secession in 2017. “The abandonment of repression against the democratic independence movement is a morally justified demand,” he said.

Mr Puigdemont is one of several Catalan politicians who have been living abroad and who might benefit from an amnesty. Spain’s supreme court has been trying to extradite him since he left the country, and it wants to try him for misuse of public funds and disobedience for his role in the independence drive of six years ago. According to Òmnium Cultural, an association that promotes Catalonia’s right to self-determination, a total of 1,400 Catalans are facing judicial action linked to pro-independence activity.

Mr Puigdemont also called for the Spanish state to acknowledge the legitimacy of the independence movement and for the creation of a “mediation mechanism” to audit any accords reached with it if his party is to support either the PP or Socialists in an investiture vote.

He also insisted that JxCat ultimately aims to negotiate a legally binding referendum on Catalan independence with the Spanish authorities.

Mr Núñez Feijóo is facing an investiture vote later this month. However, his party’s closeness to Vox and antipathy to Catalan and Basque nationalism makes it unlikely that it could reach a deal with JxCat. He appeared to rule out negotiating with the party after Mr Puigdemont’s comments.

If, as is widely expected, the conservatives fail to form a government, Mr Sánchez will then attempt to do so. Government spokeswoman Isabel Rodríguez said her party’s position was “the polar opposite” of that outlined by Mr Puigdemont, although she did not rule out the possibility of introducing an amnesty.