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Ousted Catalan Leader Accepts Madrid’s Snap Election

“I ask the Catalan people to prepare for a long road” to independence, he said.

Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont said Tuesday that he supports the snap election called by the Spanish central government after it dissolved the Catalan parliament. Madrid took direct control of the region after its government tried to declare independence from Spain. Puigdemont, speaking at a press conference in Brussels, also said he would not seek asylum in Belgium and plans to return to Catalonia when the Spanish government gives him “guarantees.” Spain’s state prosecutor previously recommended that charges for rebellion and sedition be brought against Puigdemont. “I ask the Catalan people to prepare for a long road,” he said at the press conference. “Democracy will be the foundation of our victory.”