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WORLD NEWS Thursday 26 OcTOber 2017
Catalan VP says Spain ‘gives As election looms:

us no option’ but to secede Alternatives to Russia’s Putin a mixed bag

By ARITZ PARRA
Associated Press By JIM HEINTZ after serving a 20-day sen- people who want to vote
BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spanish authorities are Associated Press tence for organizing an un- “against everyone,” a
leaving separatists in Catalonia with “no other option” MOSCOW (AP) — Russian authorized demonstration, denunciation of the Rus-
but to push ahead with declaring independence for President Vladimir Putin
the wealthy northeastern region, its vice president said hasn’t said if he will stand
Wednesday. for a fourth term. But with
Spain has announced plans to fire Catalonia’s govern- the election a little more
ment and directly manage its affairs after it held an than four months off, the
independence vote that was declared illegal by the presidential race is a mé-
country’s constitutional court. Residents of Catalonia, lange of hypotheticals with
including many who don’t back independence, have one conclusion: None of
been aghast at what they feel is Spain’s heavy-hand- the potential candidates
ed response. appear in a position to un-
In an interview with The Associated Press, Vice Presi- seat him.
dent Oriol Junqueras said his party —one of two in The most visible and adept
the separatist coalition now governing Catalonia — foe of the Putin regime,
rejected calling an early regional election as a way opposition figure Alexei
out of the political deadlock because it believes that Navalny, wants to run but
Catalans already have chosen independence. is legally barred from do-
Spain’s Constitutional Court has ruled against the Oct. ing so. TV host Ksenia Sob-
1 referendum Catalonia’s government held and cen- chak has tossed her hat in
tral authorities in Madrid say the vote’s results are in- the ring, but no one knows
valid. The vast majority of those who voted backed if she can meet the regis-
independence but the vote had numerous problems, tration requirements or if
including police violence to stop it. she’s effectively a Kremlin
Junqueras said his party would “work toward build- red herring. Other possible
ing a republic, because we understand that there is candidates include a lib-
a democratic mandate to establish such a republic.” eral with little national vis- Russian President Vladimir Putin attends a press conference
He said he was speaking only on behalf of his Repub- ibility whose party hasn’t during his meeting with German President Frank-Walter
lican Left party and not for the regional government. held a parliament seat in Steinmeier in the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia, Wednesday, Oct.
25, 2017.
Catalan President Carles Puigdemont is to address re- the last decade; Vladimir (Yuri Kochetkov/Pool Photo via AP)
gional lawmakers in parliament Thursday evening. Zhirinovsky, a fire-breathing
Junqueras spoke with the AP amid frantic jockeying nationalist whose repeated Navalny attracted hun- sian political system’s fun-
among Catalonia’s political elite on how to respond runs have produced few dreds to hear him speak damental corruption. The
to plans by Spanish authorities to fire them and take votes; and the party leader in far-flung Astrakhan, lo- message was not unlike
over managing the region until a new election is held. of the Communists. cated 1,300 kilometers (800 Trump’s pitch to “drain the
“The Spanish government is giving us no other op- Putin, who has run Russia miles) from the capital. swamp” in Washington.
tion than to defend the civil rights and citizens’ rights since 2000 and consistently Navalny has repeatedly Sobchak has worked in
through the best tools that our institutions have,” Jun- gets approval ratings of 80 served such short jail terms recent years to refashion
queras said. percent or higher in public and shrugged them off. But herself as more politically
Puigdemont has not signaled what he intends to do, opinion polls, is expected two other cases, for which serious, but many observers
but called a late Wednesday meeting of his cabinet. to wait until December he served only a single doubt her intentions and
Local media speculated he could call an early region- to state his intentions. The night, may be the undoing worry about her impact on
al election to avoid the unprecedented takeover. election is scheduled for of his candidacy. the race. Political analyst
But Junqueras ruled an election out, saying it would March 18. He was convicted of fraud Kirill Rogov referred to her
be wrong and illogical “to renounce the democratic Delaying the re-election and embezzlement in trials as “opposition lite” on his
mandate that we have from citizens.” announcement is likely a in 2013 and 2014 that were blog. “By repeating Naval-
In Madrid, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said his gov- matter of tactics, not inde- widely viewed as political ny’s agenda in a softened
ernment’s plans to take control of Catalonia’s key af- cision. Mindful of the na- retaliation. He was released and retouched way, she
fairs and halt the region’s push for independence were tionwide protests Navalny after one day in prison in will demonstrate that it’s
“exceptional” measures that he hoped would not be called this year that were the first case and given a possible to engage in op-
needed for long. unprecedented in geo- suspended sentence in the position activities in Russia
The conservative prime minister told Parliament that graphic scope across the second, but Russian law ... and work to legitimize
invoking constitutional authority over Catalonia was vast country, Putin would prohibits anyone with a fel- the presidential campaign
the “only possible” way to bring the region back in line want to give his opponents ony conviction from seek- and Putin’s future victory,”
with Spanish law, which he said the separatist Catalan as little opportunity as pos- ing the presidency. Rogov wrote on his blog.
government has violated repeatedly. sible to rally against his for- Enter Sobchak. Known Sobchak’s immediate
Rajoy said he hopes the measures will be brief but they mal candidacy. for living in high style and task is to get on the bal-
will only be lifted once order is restored in Catalonia. The mass protests unnerved having hosted a reality TV lot. Because she was not
“The government’s response is the only one possible, the Kremlin, which had show, she announced last nominated by a registered
given the stance of the Catalan institutions,” Rajoy been inclined to dismiss week that intends to de- political party, she must
said. “I am fulfilling my duty and I am doing it in the Navalny’s supporters as a clare her candidacy, but collect 300,000 signatures
face of a rejection of our laws, of our Constitution and small cadre of well-off ur- would suspend her cam- from at least 40 of Russia’s
of the millions of Catalan citizens who can see that banites. But Navalny, with paign if Navalny is allowed 85 regions. The registration
their (regional) government has flouted the law.” adamantine determina- to run. deadline is Jan. 6, posing a
Rajoy said the aim of Article 155 of the Spanish constitu- tion and a canny use of so- Sobchak’s announce- formidable challenge even
tion is not to suspend Catalonia’s self-government but cial media, has spread his ment carried some echoes for someone who claims
“to restore legality, boost the social co-existence that anti-corruption campaign from U.S. President Donald 1.6 million Twitter followers.
has been broken in Catalonia and tackle the econom- deep into the provinces. Trump’s time as a candi- Some in the anti-Putin ranks
ic consequences that its decisions are provoking.”q Just hours after his release date. She portrayed her- have a more benign view
from a Moscow jail Sunday self as the candidate for of Sobchak’s move. q