‘Independence in his blood’: Catalonia President Carles Puigdemont’s rise from journalist to separatist leader

He was a teenager when Spain’s dictator Francisco Franco died in 1975, but remained attached to the regional language and passionate about history

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Catalan President Carles Puigdemont was a newspaper editor before he became the leader of the region and led its bid for independence from Spain. Photo: Reuters

Published: 7:30pm, 10 Oct 2017Updated: 6:48pm, 12 Oct 2017

Will he declare independence for Catalonia? On Tuesday, all eyes will be fixed on Carles Puigdemont, the separatist president of the region who could forge ahead with his childhood dream of splitting from Spain.

To the outside world, the 54-year-old former journalist with a thick mop of brown hair has become the face of the Catalan independence movement.

There is talk of the “Puigdemont effect” on companies moving their headquarters from the northeastern region as he threatens to declare independence as early as Tuesday – during a scheduled address to lawmakers.

[Puigdemont] does not have much preparation … to take on this big challenge

Anonymous a high-ranking critic

“Puigdemont to jail,” shout defenders of Spanish unity.

He has retorted that he is not scared of arrest.

So where does the determination of this happily married father of two girls come from?

In a biography published in 2016, Carles Porta, a journalist and friend of Puigdemont, describes him as an “honest and resilient” man, a dyed-in-the-wool partisan of independence.