Catalan president hints Belgium exile preferable to prison

Catalan president Carles Puigdemont hinted that he prefers to prolong his stay in Brussels than returning to Catalonia and risk being imprisoned by the Spanish justice. In an interview with Reuters on Saturday, he said that his priority is to “defend the institution” of the Catalan government, which was dismissed by Madrid following a declaration of independence—and this, he believes, can hardly be done from jail.

Three days after pro-independence parties won the election in Catalonia and held on to a majority of seats at the Parliament, Puigdemont called on the Spanish government to allow him to come back in order to resume his office. He implicitly suggested, though, what his plans were should Madrid not meet his demands.