Spain's Rajoy rejects ex-Catalan leader's call to meet

Rajoy remains under pressure after Thursday's vote made it clear that there is no easy way out of Spain's worst political crisis in decades.

The former Catalan President said he was seeking an "unconditional" meeting with Rajoy in Europe but not in Spain.

"I would ask for an unconditional meeting. I don't think we can negotiate just yet," Puigdemont told a news conference from Brussels, Belgium, where he has been in self-imposed exile since Spanish authorities announced they were seeking his arrest.

Asked about Puigdemont's offer, Rajoy brushed it aside, saying he should instead meet Ines Arrimadas, leader of the pro-unity Ciutadans (Citizens) party.

Ciutadans came first in Thursday's election. However, its 37 seats are not enough for it to form a majority government.

In a blow to Madrid, provisional results showed that three separatist parties together took 70 seats. They needed 68 to keep their grip on the 135-seat Parliament. Between them, they took 48% of the popular vote.

Rajoy: 'Deep' social fracture

The election results show that the region in northeastern Spain is deeply divided, Rajoy said, and will take time to heal.

"Catalonia is not monolithic, it is plural," Rajoy said. "It is obvious that the social fracture in Catalan society is very deep."

Rajoy said the results showed a decline in support for pro-independence parties since 2010, although "not as much as we wanted."

He also commented on the "judicial position" of some of the candidates elected, saying that politicians must be subject to the law.

The Spanish government called the early regional election for Catalonia in the hope of quelling the separatist movement, whose push for independence this year triggered the crisis.

However, that ambition was thwarted when voters backed the three pro-independence parties.

Those parties must now embark on intense negotiations to form a coalition government, with major questions over who might lead it.

Puigdemont -- leader of the Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia) faction, which won 34 seats Thursday -- said last week that he would come back if he won, but he could still face arrest by Spanish authorities over the illegal referendum if he does.

Meanwhile, the other main separatist leader -- Oriol Junqueras of Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (Republican Left of Catalonia) -- is detained in a Madrid prison over the referendum, on charges of sedition and rebellion. Both leaders face 30-year jail terms if convicted.

Investigation widens

Puigdemont was pushed from power after his government held an illegal independence referendum on October 1 and lawmakers unilaterally declared the region's independence from Spain.

Thursday's result was a clear rejection of Madrid's response to the turbulence. Rajoy's Partido Popular (People's Party) lost most of its seats in the election, dropping from 11 to three.

The Spanish government sent in thousands of police to shut down the referendum, and officers were seen pulling elderly voters by the hair from polling stations and firing rubber bullets at relatively clam protesters.

Following Catalan lawmakers' declaration of independence, Madrid dismissed the entire Catalan government and Parliament and seized control of the region.

The Spanish Supreme Court has said it is widening the scope of its investigation into leaders of the Catalan independence movement.

Judge Pablo Llarena is now investigating not only the deposed Catalan government, but also six more officials. Among them, the former Catalan President Artur Mas; Marta Rovira, the secretary general of the Esquerra Republicana; Marta Pascal, the coordinator of Carles Puigdemont's party; and three others.

CNN's Isa Soares, Amanda Coakley and Angela Dewan contributed to this report.

Let's block ads! (Why?)

Read Again http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/22/europe/spain-catalonia-election-rajoy-intl/index.html

Bagikan Berita Ini