Exiled president Puigdemont reminds that borders may change

Catalan exiled president Carles Puigdemont has published an article in The New York Times in which he defends the possibility of redefining borders imposed by colonial treaties and wars of the past in a democratic way. “Citizens should be at the forefront of redefining our world’s borders”, writes Puigdemont, who claims that liberal democracy will flourish all over the world if states that obtain independence through non-violent and democratic means make their way.

“As these conflicts flare and intensify, it’s important to remember that many of the borders we’re fighting over were never fair or democratic to begin with” says Puigdemont, speaking of various conflicts that affect the world. He also mentions an interview with economist Xavier Sala-i-Martin in 2018 in which he stated that it would be against all logic that societies would not be governed based on a democratic system of laws and votes, beyond the borders resulting from colonial treaties and past wars.

Puigdemont recalls that Catalonia made a referendum on independence in 2017 and the violence by the Spanish police forces against the peaceful population, in addition to the refusal of the Spanish government to dialogue with the Catalan government and the repression against the independence movement, that has resulted in political prisoners and exile. “I never thought they would place unity above democracy or human rights, especially now that Spain is in the European Union,” he says.

Puigdemont also warns that Spain establishes a precedent that can cause territorial problems around the world, approving institutional violence against national minorities. In this regard, he claims the right to overcome the boundaries imposed by history and the possibility of small and prosperous states, such as Denmark, with a high democratic quality. In this regard, he claims the examples of the referendums agreed upon in Quebec and Scotland.