Carles Puigdemont confirms that he will not be head of the opposition when he returns to Catalonia

BarcelonaThe former president of the Generalitat Carles Puigdemont confirmed this Thursday in an interview on the program Pla seqüènciaon La 2 Cat that he will not want to assume the position of leader of the opposition in Parliament when he returns to Catalonia. "I could not act as such, but, on the other hand, even if I could, it seems to me that it is not correct for someone who has been president of the Generalitat and has held the presidency, which is an institution, to then have to control the president, whoever it may be," he argued throughout the interview, recorded after the judicial endorsement of the amnesty.

The position of leader of the opposition has been vacant since the Catalan legislature began in August 2024, at which time Junts decided not to occupy it. Since then, there was still the doubt of what the former president would do once he could return to Catalonia. Likewise, Puigdemont has not yet put on the table whether he will serve as a deputy in Parliament.

"I never went in a trunk"

Although he did not want to go into detail about his future plans during the interview, the leader of Junts has acknowledged that the Catalonia he left "no longer exists," and explained that, when he returns, he wants to discover the reality for himself by "listening to the new generations." He also revealed that the first two places he will go when he returns to Catalonia will be the cemetery where his parents are buried and the family home in Sant Julià de Ramis.

And regarding his last moments before leaving for exile, he denied that the escape after the unilateral declaration of independence took place in the trunk of a car, as has been said on many occasions. He fled by car, but sitting in the back seat, wearing a suit and tie, he asserted, just as he did on his return after his fleeting visit to Catalonia on August 8, 2024, during the investiture of Salvador Illa.

"Donations" for rent and security with "volunteers"

Puigdemont also stated that he was willing to stay "for his whole life" in exile to protect the "institution" of the presidency and to avoid "there being a photograph of the president handcuffed and humiliated before a Spanish judge". And he explained that the rent for his house in Waterloo has been paid all this time through "donations" that are channeled through a Belgian organization.

Likewise, he detailed that he has never had security, neither official nor contracted, and that those who perform this function are volunteers. Two people take turns to permanently watch the house and ensure the safety of the former president. They stay in a small apartment within the same residence in Waterloo, where they have "a small surveillance camera system".