Catalonia’s Independence Bid Shows Signs of Strain as Coalition Splits

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/08/world/europe/spain-catalonia-independence.html

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MADRID — Almost two weeks after Spain’s government took control of Catalonia, the restive region’s independence movement is showing some signs of strain.

On Wednesday, demonstrators blocked dozens of roads and railway lines across Catalonia as part of a general strike protesting the recent jailing of former members of the regional government. But the strike, coupled with a smaller street demonstration in Barcelona than on other recent occasions, had relatively limited impact.

Separately, the two main Catalan parties confirmed that they would not campaign together for independence ahead of regional elections in December, after disagreeing over how to renew the joint ticket that brought them to office in late 2015.

The splintering is a potential blow for the conservative party of Carles Puigdemont, the region’s former leader. Having left for Brussels, he is now hoping to get re-elected from there while also trying to avoid standing trial on rebellion charges in Madrid. Mr. Puigdemont argued in a Catalan radio interview from Brussels this week that the two parties should again run on a joint election platform — or risk losing to politicians who favor remaining part of Spain.

Catalonia’s elections were scheduled for Dec. 21 by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, whose central government took administrative control of Catalonia, using emergency constitutional powers, shortly after Catalan separatist lawmakers voted for independence from Spain on Oct. 27. That declaration was declared null and void by Spain’s Constitutional Court on Wednesday.

Mr. Rajoy’s decision to hold quick elections — after ousting the entire regional government and also dissolving the Catalan Parliament — was intended to catch the separatists flat-footed. It was also intended to deal a decisive blow to the independence movement by showing that Madrid was committed to handing control back to Catalan politicians — but ones, it hopes, who favor keeping the region firmly anchored within Spain.

On Wednesday, Mr. Rajoy told the Spanish Parliament that the December elections would signal a return to “normality” in Catalonia. He forecast a large turnout and an election result that “will open a new political phase in which the rules of the game are respected.”

Still, the latest opinion polls suggest that the results are too close to call. Catalonia’s three main separatist parties are expected to win 66 of the 135 seats in the regional Parliament — resulting in a loss of six seats and the majority they have held since 2015 — according to a survey by the pollster GAD3 published by La Vanguardia newspaper.

In preparing for the vote, the independence movement is focusing on the plight of its main candidates, who are facing trial by Spain’s judiciary. On Thursday, a handful of Catalan lawmakers are set to appear before the Spanish Supreme Court to face accusations of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds for organizing an independence referendum last month despite its being declared illegal by Spain.

The judge could order jail without bail, following the lead of a judge from Spain’s National Court who issued a similar order for eight former members of Mr. Puigdemont’s cabinet pending a full trial. Altogether, 20 Catalan politicians are facing prosecution. If found guilty of rebellion, they could face up to 30 years in prison.

The stage therefore seems set for an unorthodox election, with leading candidates running either from a Madrid jail or from Brussels. Mr. Puigdemont and four former cabinet members are awaiting a decision by a Belgian judge who is reviewing an international arrest warrant issued last week by the Spanish authorities. Mr. Puigdemont argues that Spain’s judiciary cannot guarantee them a fair trial.

Around 8,000 demonstrators gathered outside the Catalan government headquarters in Barcelona on Wednesday to demand the release of the jailed politicians, according to the local police.

The general strike held on Wednesday mostly affected the transportation and education sectors, with schoolteachers and university students joining the strike. Protesters paralyzed part of the high-speed rail network, after blocking the tracks in Sants, Barcelona’s main train station, and in Girona, a city along the main rail link between Catalonia and the border with France.