Overview

• Carles Puigdemont, the exiled former leader of Catalonia, plans to return to Spain to contest the May elections for regional president.
• Puigdemont's return is facilitated by a contentious amnesty bill, currently progressing through Spain's Parliament, which could clear him and hundreds of Catalan independence supporters of legal charges.
• The amnesty bill has sparked significant opposition and tension within Spain, including among conservatives, judges, and business groups.
• Puigdemont's potential return is seen as a challenge to Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's government, which relied on a controversial pact with separatists to stay in power.
• Polls indicate a complex political landscape in Catalonia, with Puigdemont's Junts party vying for influence against other parties, amid changing priorities among Catalans.