Carles Puigdemont has launched a public critique of Gabriel Rufián and the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) following their electoral agreement with Podemos for the 29 November Spanish general election. In a post on social media platform X on Tuesday 13 October 2026, Puigdemont claimed that 'the radical left in Spain has always allied with the radical right in Spain'.
Specifically, he referred to a parliamentary vote in the previous year when Podemos MPs joined the People's Party (PP) and Vox to block the transfer of immigration competences to the Generalitat. Puigdemont described the moment as illustrative, writing: 'It is a good time to remember that the radical left in Spain has always allied with the radical right in Spain to prevent Catalonia from managing all immigration powers.'
At the time of the vote, Podemos argued the proposed law was racist, with ministerial figure Irene Montero's party stating it would not support a measure that treated immigration as a problem. Deputy Javier Sánchez Serna said the proposal amounted to deciding 'which institution exercises institutional racism', calling instead for the regularization of 500,000 migrants. Spain's government later approved a mass regularization programme, though the devolution of immigration powers remains unresolved.
Junts renewed its push for the transfer of immigration powers in Congress this summer, but proposed changes failed to win Podemos's support.
Puigdemont's return timeline unclear
Puigdemont, who remains in self-exile in Belgium, has not confirmed a date for his return to Catalonia. His lawyer, Gonzalo Boye, stated on Tuesday that Puigdemont has a 'return plan' but will not return before the 29 November elections. Boye told Catalan broadcaster TV3 and digital outlet VilaWeb that Puigdemont intends to return 'after the elections' and that he would not come back during the campaign period, a move he said the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) would welcome.
Boye added that while Puigdemont's legal situation is 'largely cleared', it is not fully resolved. He warned that although his client would not be arrested upon return, there remains a risk of being summoned to appear before the Supreme Court or having a prison order reissued. The Supreme Court formally lifted its national arrest warrant against Puigdemont after the Constitutional Court validated the application of the amnesty law to embezzlement charges related to the 2017 independence process.
'No volveremos al servicio de nuestro partido, sino de nuestro país.'
Puigdemont reiterated this stance in a formal address from Waterloo, Belgium, stating his return would be framed as a decision for the country, not the party. He has not yet set a date for his return, though sources within Junts indicate he will wait until the amnesty is fully applied by Spanish judicial authorities.
Reported by elnacional.cat, t.co, eldiario.es, elpais.com, Mª Carmen Cruz Martín, elmundo.es, elconfidencial.com, El Nacional (CA).
