Puigdemont turns down offer to lead PDeCAT party
Former Catalan president to focus on his legal defense instead
Carles Puigdemont, the former Catalan president seeking refuge from the Spanish judiciary in Europe, has rejected an offer to lead PDeCAT, one of the main pro-independence parties in Catalonia. Puigdemont says he prefers to focus on his legal defense instead.
The pro-independence leader is currently in Germany awaiting a decision on his extradition to Spain, where he faces criminal charges of rebellion for carrying out a referendum despite Madrid’s opposition and subsequently declaring independence. If extradited, he could face a prison sentence of up to 30 years.
While leading the Catalan government in its push for independence, which led to Spain’s biggest political crisis in decades, Puigdemont became the best known pro-independence leader in Catalonia and abroad.