Madrid: Carles Puigdemont, the bespectacled politician heading the Catalan regional government’s drive for secession from Spain, was an unknown entity for most Spaniards until a year ago. Now, as he pledges to hold a referendum on Sunday deemed illegal by Spain, he’s a household name across the country, and probably not a popular one.
Puigdemont is a former journalist who has a long record of links to the independence movement, unlike many in his conservative Catalan European Democratic Party. Many of its members turned outwardly pro-secession only about five years ago.
But the 54-year-old Puigdemont, who was born in the town of Amer in the heart of pro-independence territory north of Barcelona, was never elected by popular vote for the job he holds. Instead, he became the independence movement’s most visible proponent almost by accident.
Previous regional president Artur Mas had to hand-pick him as successor in a desperate attempt to clinch the parliamentary support of the far-left anti-capitalists in the CUP party and keep the secession push on the rails.
