Puigdemont will 'try to be invested as president' in Barcelona, speculates political science professor
A political science professor at the Open University of Catalonia, Peña analyzes the different scenarios for Puigdemont being sworn in as president
Ismael Peña is a professor of political science at the Open University of Barcelona. He spoke with Catalan News about the possibility of Carles Puigdemont being sworn in at a distance, and what that would entail for the political landscape in Catalonia.
What do you think the different scenarios are, when it comes to the possibility of Carles Puigdemont being sworn in as president?
I think there are three main scenarios. The first one is that he comes to Barcelona and gets elected as the next president of the Catalan government. The second one is that he comes to try to be elected, but he gets caught and ends up in prison. And the third one is that he becomes afraid of the consequences of coming back to Barcelona, and just remains in Brussels, and tries to be elected from there.
How likely do you think the first scenario is, especially considering what the attitude of the Spanish justice has been so far?
I think it's very difficult to say what the likelihood is, because we know that the Spanish government will try to catch him and punish him for what he's done in the past. But, we also know that the president is very bold, and he’s trying to put pressure on the Spanish government. So, I think that, at least, he’ll try to be invested as president here, in Barcelona.