Catalans Look to Leader‘s Move in Belgium as Movement Unravels

As Spain consolidated its grip on Catalonia‘s once semi-autonomous government, Catalan separatists were left leaderless after Puigdemont fled without even telling senior members of his party of his plans, according to a party official. Facing the threat of up to 30 years in a Spanish jail, he is expected to seek asylum in Belgium along with key members of the ousted administration, the official said.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has won the power struggle with Puigdemont, but Spain‘s establishment now has to figure out how to heal divisions that deepened dramatically over the last decade. It‘s in Spain‘s interests as much as Catalonia‘s to mend the damage to the northeastern region‘s economy, the powerhouse of Spain that accounts for a fifth of the country‘s output.