Madrid - Spain rejected as absurd
suggestions that Catalan separatist Carles Puigdemont could lead
the region from exile if elected president by the new Catalan
parliament, and said if he were chosen Madrid would maintain
direct central rule.
Puigdemont fled to Brussels in October after Prime Minister
Mariano Rajoy fired him as Catalonia's leader for declaring an
independent republic following an illegal referendum. He faces
arrest and possibly decades in jail if he returns to Spain.
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 Jan. 17 to
choose the committee that rules its day-to-day activities. A new
leader could be voted in by parliament as early as Jan. 31.
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.