puigdemont

In Spain 7th November 2025

Junts assures “legislature is blocked”: no budgets, no more laws

Miriam Nogueras, Junts spokesperson in the Congress—where the fugitive Puigdemont’s party maintains seven decisive deputies, without whom the investiture majority falls into a minority with 172 out of 350 deputies—announced yesterday that her party will not vote with the Government again after the half-dozen laws they have already agreed upon pass through Parliament. She will not vote in favor of either the 2026 Budgets (Spain continues to extend the 2023…

In Spain 29th January 2025

Spain: Without the Fugitive, There is No Law

The President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, had to retract and concede again publicly yesterday, accepting the demands of the fugitive Puigdemont – leader of Junts, who with his seven deputies in Congress decides which laws move forward and which do not – in order to push through an “omnibus” Decree Law with 29 measures, which include everything from pension increases to subsidies for public transport passes or aid for…

European politics 24th September 2021

Italy Arrests Puigdemont In Sardinia, A Fugitive From Justice Since 2017

Last night the Italian authorities arrested in Sardinia the former president of the Catalan Government Carles Puigdemont, a fugitive from justice since 2017. The Catalan leader, who as soon as he was arrested was taken to the police station at the city’s airport, was wanted on the basis of a warrant issued by the Supreme Court. Puigdemont had travelled from Brussels to take part in the Aplec Internacional Adifolk, an…

Spanish Politics 16th October 2017

The Catalan Question Thrown For A Loop

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont had until 10 am on Monday 16 October to clarify whether he has declared independence or not. As was widely expected, he answered PM Mariano Rajoy in an ambiguous way, with neither a clear yes nor a no. He has until Thursday at 10 am to avoid the government applying article 155 of the Constitution.

Markets 9th October 2017

Utilities meet May and Puigdemont

Carax Alphavalue | Mrs May’s talk of energy price controls sent the UK sector into a downward spin. The Catalan mess also pushed sharply down the Spanish utilities’ share prices. The only surprise is that it took three days for markets to react to the Spanish risks.

Spanish Politics 27th February 2017

Reporting on Catalonia: a hazardous business

In Madrid, much of the media and most commentators, -not to mention the big national parties — tend to be bewildered, if not outraged, by the secessionist drive. When in Catalonia (or at least speaking to independentistas), I find that the opposite is true: disenchantment with and disdain for the Spanish state is almost a given and the word “independence” tossed around as if it were a football.