Exiled Catalan leaders on their way home after historic court ruling

Häromdagen tvingades premiärminister Pedro Sánchez utlysa nyval sedan Puigdemonts parti Junts fällt Sánchez förslag till nya hyreslagar. Junts refused to vote with the leftist coalition because Puigdemont did not yet enjoy the amnesty he was promised when Junts helped Sánchez form a government in the fall of 2023.

Sánchez kept his word, and the amnesty law was passed in May 2024. But then the Supreme Court intervened and declared that the new law does not cover "embezzlement of public funds". Puigdemont and his allies had let the treasury pay for the - banned by Spain - Catalan independence referendum in October 2017. HD's interpretation of 2024 meant that Puigdemont and the other exiles could not return.

Författningsdomstolen TC, som övertrumfar HD i allt som gäller lagarnas tolkning, har en majoritet på 7 mot 5 av regeringstrogna domare. De fem minoritetsdomarna reserverade sig i ett skarpt uttalande mot beslutet, ”som betyder att TC lägger sig i frågor som lyder under HD”.

HD meddelade dock att man fogar sig i TC:s beslut och häver arresteringsordern mot Puigdemont och hans medarbetare.

For Puigdemont and his party, which is lagging behind in the polls, the leader's homecoming will be a golden opportunity to fill the streets of Barcelona and woo Catalan voters in time for the Nov. 29 election.

Under denna regerings tre år har Junts, med blott sju av Madridkongressens 350 mandat, spelat en dominerande roll. If Pedro Sánchez and the left were to surprise and be able to form a government again after the election, everything points to the fact that they will once again be dependent on the Junts - who have promised to demand a referendum on exit from Spain in such a situation. Puigdemont on Wednesday cheered the court decision, but made it clear that the fight for Catalan independence and the "conflict with Spain" continues.