Catalan Separatist Ambitions Barred by Criminal Probe
- Puigdemont faces arrest if he returns to Barcelona to govern
- Rajoy brushed off demand for legal amnesty after election win
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Photographer: Angel Garcia/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
After the cheers and celebrations of his surprise election victory, Catalonia’s would-be president, Carles Puigdemont, has to navigate the difficult legacy of October’s illegal drive to break away from Spain.
The three-party separatist bloc successfully defended its narrow majority in Thursday’s election, but the potential prosecutions facing its leaders may still prevent Puigdemont from fulfilling his vow to return to the presidential palace for a second time.