Last December’s regional elections in Catalonia saw no significant alteration to the political landscape despite months of upheaval after the contested independence referendum on October 1. While the right-wing Ciudadanos gained new dominance in the pro-unionist bloc, pro-independence forces won 47 percent of the vote, giving them another slim majority of seats in the Catalan parliament. This was despite the fact that the main independentist leaders are either in jail or in self-imposed exile in Brussels.

Yet two months after the elections, Catalonia still does not have a government. While the Spanish government is requesting the separatist coalition present a “clean candidate,” Carles Puigdemont — who faces arrest on possible charges of sedition if he returns to Spain — insists that he’s still Catalonia’s legitimate leader.

Officially, the pro-independence movement projects unity on the issue of Puigdemont’s legitimacy, but some members of the center-left Esquerra Republicana (ERC) have expressed concerns. As long as Catalonia remains without an autonomous government, the Spanish government of the Partido Popular will continue imposing direct rule from Madrid — and some have suggested that it might be wiser to pick a different candidate in order to regain control.