Madrid challenges Puigdemont's candidature for president
Rajoy’s cabinet starts procedure to appeal in the Spanish Constitutional Court against the efforts to reinstate the Catalan leader
The Spanish government is determined to stop Carles Puigdemont being reinstated as Catalan president and on Thursday it took another step forward. Mariano Rajoy’s vice president, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, announced that the cabinet had started the procedure to appeal against Puigdemont's candidature for president in the Spanish Constitutional Court. “Mr. Torrent [the Catalan Parliament president] cannot nominate Mr. Puigdemont as president,” said Rajoy’s number 2. She argued that he has an arrest warrant against him in Spain, so he would not be able to attend the Catalan Parliament as he would be arrested as soon as he sets foot in the country. She added that Puigdemont has not got “all” the rights, such as “ambulatory freedom.”
Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría said that the Spanish government asked the consultive Council of State body whether nominating Puigdemont can be challenged or not. This is a prior step to the appeal in the Constitutional Court, which could happen as soon as Friday, she said. Rajoy’s vice-president also explained that it had questioned the same body if a potential investiture at a distance can also be challenged in the Constitutional Court, as well as the MPs in Brussels delegating their vote.