In a speech made in Elna, in Northern Catalonia - that is, in the French state - Carles Puigdemont has announced that he will lead the electoral list of Together for Catalonia (Junts) for the early Catalan election to be held on May 12th. Catalan, Spanish and international media were present at the meeting that Puigdemont held in Elna. Expectation was high over whether the president who led Catalonia into the 2017 independence referendum would be the head of the Junts list once again and this has been seen in the coverage that different media have made of the events. From Le Monde to Bloomberg, the possible return of Puigdemont to Catalonia and to the Generalitat palace has filled headlines.
What is also visible in the coverage of Puigdemont's announcement is the way that some media have bought into Spanish nationalist narratives when referring to the Catalan politician. A classic case is the use of the concept "fugitive" to describe an elected MEP who has always maintained a fixed address in the capital of the EU and cooperated with all of that country's legal authorities. This is the case of several headlines such as, for example, the Financial Times: "Fugitive separatist Carles Puigdemont to run in Catalan elections". What's more, in the rest of the text Puigdemont is referred to as "leader in self-imposed exile" - the disdainful qualifier "self-imposed" contrasts with references in the same media to, for example, members of the Russian opposition living abroad, who are just "in exile", even though it is also a decision that they have taken themselves.
Bloomberg is even harsher, with the headline: "The Catalan pariah returns to Spain with plans to retake power". Given that a "pariah" is "an outcast", a person who "is avoided or not accepted", it is an interesting choice of word for a politician who has major political support in Catalonia.
On the other hand, other media have focused on the risk of arrest that Puigdemont faces. Specifically, Germany's Der Spiegel highlights this in the subheading of the news story, which reads: "There is a risk of arrest if he enters the country." Underneath, the headline states: "The separatist Puigdemont wants to stand in the Catalan elections". The text also states that it is the third time he will have run for the Catalan presidency since he went into exile.
Another aspect emphasised in the international reports is the context in which Puidgemont's return could take place, that is, with the application of the amnesty on Catalan independence process prosecutions, currently passing through the Spanish Senate. One of the headlines that puts the focus on this area is that of Le Monde. The French newspaper details: "In mid-March, Spanish MPs approved an amnesty law for separatists, which opens up the possibility of Mr Puigdemont's election run." L'indépendant, a French daily based in the country's Catalan-speaking lands, also echoed Puigdemont's candidacy and, naturally, highlighted the place where he presented his candidacy: Elne, in French - Elna, in Catalan.
The Pan-European media outlet Politico opted for one of the most direct headlines: "He's running: Puigdemont wants to be president of Catalonia - again". Finally, The Washington Post highlights in its headline that Puigdemont's return may be dependent on the possibilities he has of governing. The US newspaper headlines: "Fugitive Catalan leader Puigdemont pledges he will return to Spain if he can be restored to power."
