Spanish Court to Rule on Carles Puigdemont Amnesty

The Constitutional Court of Spain is expected to rule on October 6 whether the 2024 amnesty law covers charges of misuse of public funds against former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont. A favorable ruling would allow Puigdemont to return to Spain after nearly nine years in exile, having fled in 2017 to avoid imprisonment following an illegal push for independence.

Puigdemont faces a transformed political environment in Catalonia. The Socialists’ party of Catalonia, led by Salvador Illa, currently governs the region in cooperation with Madrid. Support for independence has declined, now hovering in the low 40s, while the region experiences demographic shifts characterized by a rise in the foreign-born population.

The nationalist movement is further complicated by the rise of the far-right Aliança Catalana. This shift has pushed Puigdemont's own party, Junts per Catalunya, toward the right, as evidenced by the party recently voting down progressive housing proposals.