A Guide to Catalonia’s Never-Ending Crisis

Catalonia has replaced Greece as Europe’s never-ending crisis. It’s been almost three months since Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy cracked down on the regional Catalan government after it briefly declared independence, but there’s still no clear answer as to what comes next. The standoff comes down to this: Rajoy was able to block independence but couldn’t persuade Catalan separatists to give up the idea. Meanwhile, the pro-independence parties who won a victory at the ballot box still can’t figure how to put their exiled leader into office instead of prison.

Three pro-independence parties won 70 of the regional parliament’s 135 seats in a Dec. 21 election ordered by Rajoy after he dissolved Catalonia’s government for declaring independence on Oct. 28. The vote put ousted Regional President Carles Puigdemont back in the game, but he’s in a bind. He faces the threat of arrest if he returns to Barcelona to be sworn in as president. And even if he were to take office, Rajoy has shown that he’s prepared to use the law to stop Puigdemont from implementing his plans for independence.