Law to elect Puigdemont challenged in court

The reinstatement of Carles Puigdemont as Catalan president is now one step further away. As expected, the Spanish government submitted the amendment of the Catalan presidency law to the Spanish Constitutional Court on Wednesday afternoon. The change to the regulation, passed in the Catalan Parliament last week, enables the appointment of a president at a distance.

Puigdemont is now in Germany waiting for a decision on his extradition process. Parliament passed the amendment so that the deposed president could retake office remotely while unable to return to Catalonia. However, the Constitutional Court is expected to accept the appeal for consideration, which means that the amendment will be suspended while it is evaluated by the judges.

May 22 deadline

When this happens, the main pro-independence party, Junts per Catalunya, is expected to put forward an alternative name for the post. In a meeting last weekend, a spokesman for the group said that if Puigdemont’s bid is blocked, another candidate would be proposed for Catalonia’s presidency by May 14. The deadline to swear an MP in as president is May 22. If the Parliament fails to do so, Catalonia will face an automatic snap election in mid-July.