Puigdemont still candidate for president despite leaks, says Parliament head

Carles Puigdemont is still the candidate for president. This is what the Catalan Parliament president, Roger Torrent, said on Thursday, despite the Constitutional Court and the recent leaks. “Our people have sacrificed me,” wrote Puigdemont in a private message made public without permission on Wednesday by a Spanish private TV channel. Yet, Torrent insisted that the deposed Catalan president “is and will be” the candidate for president.

After delaying the debate to swear Puigdemont in earlier this week, Torrent said that he would not call the session until “democratic guarantees of its effectiveness” are provided. In a few days, the Spanish Constitutional Court will make a final decision on the legality of Puigdemont’s bid to become president given his current situation. While Torrent’s Esquerra party supported him in the decision to postpone the session, Puigdemont’s Together for Catalonia ticket would have preferred the session to go ahead.