Carles Puigdemont

Carles Puigdemont i Casamajó was born on December 29, 1962, in Amer, Girona, Catalonia, Spain. Before entering frontline politics, he worked as a journalist and became involved in Catalan political and cultural affairs.

Puigdemont became active in Catalan nationalist politics and was elected to the Parliament of Catalonia. He also served as mayor of Girona from 2011 to 2016.

In January 2016, Puigdemont became the 130th President of the Government of Catalonia, succeeding Artur Mas. His government pursued a program centered on Catalonia's independence from Spain.

His presidency became internationally prominent during the 2017 Catalan independence crisis. The Catalan government organized an independence referendum on October 1, 2017, which was opposed by the Spanish central government and Spanish courts. Following the referendum, the Catalan parliament declared independence on October 27, 2017. The Spanish government subsequently removed the Catalan government from office and imposed direct rule under Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution.

Puigdemont left Spain and went to Belgium in October 2017. Spanish authorities subsequently pursued legal proceedings against him and other Catalan independence leaders. He remained involved in Catalan politics while living abroad.

In the 2019 European Parliament election, Puigdemont was elected as a Member of the European Parliament. The European Parliament recognized his mandate with effect from July 2, 2019, following a ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union.

During his European parliamentary career, Puigdemont served as a non-attached member and represented Junts per Catalunya – Lliures per Europa during the ninth parliamentary term.

In 2024, Puigdemont returned to the center of Catalan electoral politics and stood as the Junts candidate in the Catalan regional election. He also remained an influential figure within the Junts political movement and became its president again in 2024.

His legal situation has continued to develop. In February 2026, the Court of Justice of the European Union annulled the European Parliament's decisions waiving Puigdemont's parliamentary immunity, finding problems with the procedure used to reach those decisions.

Puigdemont remains one of the most prominent figures associated with the modern Catalan independence movement. His political career has been closely connected with debates over Catalonia's relationship with Spain, regional self-government, independence and European politics.