Puigdemont: independence must be respected if a majority votes for it

Catalan president Carles Puigdemont, ousted by the Spanish government following a declaration of independence, stressed that if a majority of people vote in favor of independence in the December 21 election their decision should be respected. In an exclusive interview with Catalan News, Puigdemont said that “if a clear majority of votes and seats from a community says ‘I want to be an independent state,’ this is a decision that must be respected.”

Speaking from Brussels, where he and four deposed ministers traveled, claiming they did not trust the Spanish justice to offer them a fair trial, Puigdemont urged Madrid and the European Union to clarify whether they will respect the results of the vote or not.

After dismissing the Catalan government and dissolving the Parliament, Spanish president Mariano Rajoy called new elections in Catalonia on December 21. Puigdemont announced on Friday that he is ready to head a joint civil candidacy, encompassing independence supporters that would seek “to protect the greater good in these elections.” These values, according to Puigdemont, are “democracy” and “the fight against Article 155”, referring to the Spanish Constitution tool that Rajoy triggered to take over Catalonia’s self-rule.