– Puigdemont Claims He’s Legitimate President Of Catalonia, Not Seeking Belgian Asylum:
Having fled to Brussels to escape rebellion charges and perhaps a lengthy prison sentence, Catalan (ex?) leader Carles Puigdemont, who quietly fled Catalonia over the past few days, held a press conference at the Brussels Press Club. Puigdemont said that the Catalan government sees the upcoming regional elections, called after the imposition of Article 155, as a “democratic challenge” and will accept the results.
In a multi-lingual, rambling speech, Puigdemont – who appears to have almost capitulated in his crusade against Madrid – said he would respect the results of the snap election called by Madrid in response to the declaration of independence by the province’s parliament. He then called on the Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy to say if he would do the same. Puigdemont also reiterated his support for democracy and peaceful resistance to Madrid’s pressure on Catalonia, and said he arrived in the Belgian capital to put the issue of Catalan independence “in the heart” of the European Union.
Confirming that beggars can at least pretend to be choosers, Puigdemont said that “I want a clear commitment from the State, will you respect the results or not?”
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