Catalan Parliament elects Socialist leader as region's president
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With his win, Illa Roca becomes the first Catalan leader from outside the separatist camp since 2010.
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Catalan regional police forces - Mossos d'Esquadra officers - form a hedge of honor as Catalonia's Socialist Party (PSC) party's leader Salvador Illa leaves after being elected Catalan regional President during a plenary session at the Parliament of Catalonia, in Barcelona on August 8, 2024. (AFP)
Former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, who has been sought by Spanish authorities since the failed independence referendum in 2017, has reportedly evaded arrest following his recent return to Spain, according to Lluis Llach, head of the Catalan National Assembly.
"President Puigdemont asked me to tell you that he is healthy, safe and, above all, free," Llach posted Friday on X.
On Thursday, Puigdemont made a public appearance in Barcelona, addressing a large crowd of supporters outside the Catalan Parliament. His return marked his first in Spain since he fled the country to avoid arrest.
In response, Catalan police initiated an operation dubbed "The Cage" to arrest the fugitive leader.
Two police officers allegedly involved in aiding Puigdemont's escape have been detained. Authorities have indicated that an investigation will be launched against those who facilitated the leader's evasion.
Puigdemont led Catalonia in 2017, pushing forward with an independence referendum despite a court ban and later declaring independence briefly. He fled Spain to avoid prosecution and has since resided in Belgium and, more recently, France.
While Spain’s parliament passed an amnesty law in May for those involved in the failed secession attempt, the Supreme Court ruled on July 1 that it would not fully apply to Puigdemont.
Catalan Parliament elects socialist leader Illa Roca as regional president
Meanwhile, Salvador Illa Roca, leader of the Socialists' Party of Catalonia (PSC) and a close ally of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, has been elected as Catalonia's next president, according to the results of a parliamentary vote held on Thursday.
Illa Roca secured the presidency with a narrow vote of 68 to 66, receiving support from 42 PSC lawmakers, 20 members of the Republican Catalan Left (ERC) party, and six members of the left-wing Catalunya en Comu party.
Opposing Illa Roca's election were 34 members of Puigdemont's pro-independence Junts per Catalunya party, 15 members of the right-wing People's Party of Catalonia, 11 lawmakers from Vox, four members of the left-wing Popular Unity Candidacy party, and two members of the far-right Catalan Alliance.
With his win, Illa Roca became the first Catalan regional leader from outside the separatist camp since 2010.
