Puigdemont Rules Out Opposition Leadership on Return
Carles Puigdemont confirmed Thursday that he will not assume the role of leader of the opposition in the Catalan Parliament if and when he returns to Catalonia, citing institutional respect for the presidency. Speaking in an interview on the 2Cat program Pla Seqüència, the former president of the Generalitat stated that someone who has held the office should not oversee the sitting president, regardless of political affiliation.
A Vacant Post Since August 2024
The position of leader of the opposition has remained unoccupied since the current Catalan legislative term began in August 2024, when Junts decided against filling the post.
Refusing to Control the Presidency
Puigdemont’s remarks definitively rule out taking on the responsibility upon his eventual return, though he has not yet clarified whether he will serve as a member of parliament.
Exiled Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont will return to Belgium to resume “political activities” related to Catalonia’s push for independence https://t.co/aoajgGG5ye
“I couldn’t exercise as such, but on the other hand, even if I could, it seems to me that someone who has been president of the Generalitat and has occupied the presidency, which is an institution, it is not correct that afterwards he has to control the president, whoever it may be,” Puigdemont said during the broadcast.
A Shifted Political Reality
While avoiding specifics regarding his broader political timeline, Puigdemont acknowledged that the Catalonia he left behind “no longer exists” and stated that upon returning, he intends to experience the current reality firsthand by listening to younger generations.
First Stops Back in Catalonia
He also noted that his first two stops upon returning home will be the cemetery where his parents are buried and the family home in Sant Julià de Ramis.
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