Puigdemont not president thanks to Spanish gov, says Rajoy

The Spanish president Mariano Rajoy has bragged about preventing Carles Puigdemont, the deposed president of Catalonia, from reclaiming the office: "Thanks to the Spanish executive, a person prosecuted by the judiciary is not presiding over the Catalan government."

In a speech at the national convention of Spain's ruling People's Party (PP) on Sunday, Rajoy said that his government "took on the responsitibily" of "hampering the illegal investiture of Puigdemont," despite all the "criticism and the lack of understanding."

Puigdemont and all his ministers were dismissed by Rajoy following a declaration of indepedence last October. After fleeing to Belgium to avoid prosecution in Spain, Puigdemont became the most voted pro-independence candidate n a subsequent election. Yet, Spanish courts blocked his bid to reclaim the office from abroad last January.