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August 9, 2024

Catalonia to Be Led by Socialists, Ending Separatist Rule as Puigdemont Manages to Flee Spain
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Catalonia's Parliament on Thursday confirmed socialist Salvador Illa as
head of Catalonia's new government, ending more than a decade of rule by
the separatist movement. Illa is an ally of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro
Sánchez.

Illa's election was said to be upstaged by the surprise vanishing of
Catalan separatist leader Carles Puigdemont after he spoke at a rally in
Barcelona Thursday and then evaded arrest by fleeing to Belgium. Spanish
authorities are demanding explanations from police about how Puigdemont
was able to return to Catalonia and then go into exile again.


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