Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont is expected to return to Catalonia this week, nearly nine years after going into exile. Spain's constitutional court is anticipated to remove the last legal obstacle to his return.
Puigdemont fled in 2017 to avoid imprisonment for his role in a failed independence push. Nine of his colleagues were jailed for up to 13 years, though all were released within three years.
If the court decides on 6 October that the charge of misuse of public funds is covered by the 2024 amnesty law, Puigdemont could return without fear of arrest. However, Catalonia has changed significantly since 2017, with a shift in its political climate and demographics.
Since 2024, the region has been governed by the Socialists' party of Catalonia (PSC), marking the first time a non-nationalist party has been in charge since 1980. The population has also seen a demographic shift, with foreign-born residents now making up 18.7% of the Catalan population, up from 13.8% when Puigdemont left.