After almost seven years in exile in Belgium, Carles Puigdemont from the separatist Junts party wants to return to Spain. This is a risky move, as the separatist leader faces arrest if he enters the country. Puigdemont was elected regional president of Catalonia in 2016. He initiated a referendum and then proclaimed independence from Spain. He was later deposed by the Senate and then sentenced to many years in prison for „sedition“. At the time, he had avoided arrest by fleeing to Central Europe.