#Madrid to maintain direct rule if self-exiled Catalan separatist re-elected - PM

With only days before Catalonia’s parliament convenes to elect a new regional government, separatists said Puigdemont was their candidate to lead the region again.

They are exploring the possibility he could do so by video link from Brussels.

But Rajoy, in a speech at his centre-right People’s Party (PP) Madrid headquarters, derided the idea and the Catalan parliament’s own legal advisory body said it was not possible without changing the law.

“It’s absurd that someone aspires to be president of the Catalan regional government as a fugitive in Brussels - it’s a case of common sense,” Rajoy said.

If Puigdemont tried to attend the parliamentary vote for a new head of region from Brussels, the Spanish government would challenge his appearance immediately in the courts, he said.

Rajoy said if Puigdemont were re-elected, constitutional powers invoked by the government in October to impose direct rule on the region would continue to apply.

Rajoy called regional elections in December to try and resolve the political crisis that led to an exodus of companies from the region.

However, the election returned a slim majority to parties favouring independence, raising the possibility of a renewed push for a split from Spain this year.

The parliament will meet for the first time on 17 January to choose the committee that rules its day-to-day activities. A new leader could be voted in by parliament as early as 31 January.

Its advisory body said in a non-binding report on Monday that parliament’s rules allowed a president to be appointed without them being present only in the event of “hospitalization, serious illness or an extended disability”.

Any other reason would require a legal reform to parliament’s laws, it said.

Share this article: