Local police were deployed to the park surrounding Catalonia’s parliament building as former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont returned to Spain with a crowd of supporters. Puigdemont’s return is likely to reignite tensions over Catalan independence following the failed secession attempt in 2017. It is unclear how authorities will proceed if he is arrested, but there is a possibility he could be pardoned under a controversial amnesty Bill that is currently being challenged by the Supreme Court. Puigdemont’s return also poses a challenge to a recent political deal brokered between Salvador Illa’s Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) and the main Catalan separatist party, Esquerra Republicana (ERC). This deal was expected to secure enough support for Illa to become the next regional president in an upcoming investiture debate. Puigdemont’s presence in Spain threatens to complicate the political landscape and potentially disrupt the delicate balance of power in Catalonia.
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