On Thursday, former Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont suddenly appeared on a stage in central Barcelona surrounded by supporters.
– That he would go on stage and then manage to get away from there without being caught, that is startling, says Niklas Bremberg, political scientist at Stockholm University.
Carles Puigdemont has lived in exile for seven years and was wanted after he challenged the central government in Madrid with a 2017 independence referendum.
According to information to the media, Puigdemont left the crowd in a white van provided by Spanish police. Now a police hunt is underway for Puigdemont and criticism is growing against Catalonia’s self-governing police force, the Mossos.
At least two police officers have been arrested, suspected of having helped Puigdemont escape, reports the AFP news agency.
Wanted to steal the spotlight from the new regional president
The return to Spain takes place in connection with Salvador Illa being sworn in as Catalonia’s new regional president on Thursday.
– This was an attempt by him to steal the limelight and he partially succeeded. At the same time as the political situation in Catalonia has fundamentally changed, we now have a regional president who does not support independence, says Niklas Bremberg.
Puigdemont had previously announced that he intended to return to Catalonia and Catalan politics, but that it would take place in this form was unexpected.
Opportunities that political players consumed
Puigdemont still has an arrest warrant issued against him and, according to media reports, he may be about to leave the country again.
– If you don’t succeed in capturing him, it is clear that there is a problem for the Catalan police, but politically both Catalonia and Spain have moved on from this conflict, says Niklas Bremberg.
But even if Puigdemont manages to flee the country, Niklas Bremberg believes that his time as a political player is over.
– If he now manages to escape from Spain again, he can run some kind of political campaign, but I would judge him as a political player in Spain that his opportunities are quite limited if not completely exhausted, says Niklas Bremberg.