Carles Puigdemont hides again

Carles Puigdemont keeps a surprising silence in the face of the corruption surrounding the PSOE Government. Meanwhile, the Executive is embroiled in numerous scandals, and the former Catalan president chooses not to speak out. This attitude contrasts with his constant activity on social media, where he comments on much less relevant topics for Spain and Catalonia, from Trump to Milei's economic policy.

This submission to PSOE, disguised as a combative attitude, responds to a clear need: to obtain the amnesty law that Puigdemont so desperately needs. Without amnesty, Puigdemont is a powerless leader with no real executive capacity. The great risk the former president took was to stake his fate on a process as tortuous as amnesty, which will end up in the hands of European justice.

The proof that Puigdemont is a hostage to himself lies in the fact that Junts has no choice but to distance themselves from any motion of no confidence against Sánchez. In addition, what should be a success for Junts (the official status of Catalan) becomes another way to tie themselves to PSOE. As is well known, PP is leading an offensive in Europe against Catalan, which makes an understanding with Feijóo for a tactical motion of no confidence even more distant.

Problems for Nogueras and Turull

Overall, Puigdemont's situation has become as implausible as his most recent past was implausible. On one hand, he wants to show himself as combative with PP, but that forces him to be a crutch for PSOE. On the other hand, if he were to let PSOE fall, he would immediately be accused in Catalonia of making a deal with PP or, even more, of pushing for an early election that would give PP and Vox an absolute majority.

These complications could be eased if Puigdemont conveyed to his voters the sense of being a leader who achieves real changes from Madrid. But, for now, the feeling he conveys is that of an absent leader who falls time and again into PSOE's traps, starting with the official status of Catalan in Europe. In these cases, it is usual for Puigdemont to disappear and for Turull and Nogueras to have to deal with media and social pressure.

Finally, within Catalonia, Junts also can't get rid of the pressure from Aliança Catalana, which is clearly taking a lot of ground from them. Puigdemont's great difficulty is then operational. That is, all the time he depends on obtaining amnesty is time in which AC gains ground on him.