President Carles Puigdemont has this afternoon posted an image on Instagram of Barcelona's passeig de Picasso, the street running up to the gate which is the vehicle entrance to the Ciutadella park and the Parliament building. The photo was posted at 3pm, 24 hours before the start of tomorrow' planned investiture debate. The accompanying text reads "For the country. For our freedoms. For our institutions. For democracy. For dignity. For the future. For you".
The enigmatic message has whipped up the uncertainty surrounding the investiture debate. The Parliament's speaker, Roger Torrent, is so far moving ahead with proceedings, despite Spain's Constitutional Court having banned Puigdemont's investiture unless he comes from exile in Belgium to appear in person under permission of Supreme Court judge Pablo Llarena.
The post comes the same day that Spanish police border checks have been intensified at various points of the frontier with France to avoid Puigdemont being able to enter the country to attend the debate. This morning, police were stopping cars and checking their boots at La Jonquera. Last week, meanwhile, Spanish National Police agents checked the old sewers under the Parliament and the Ciutadella park.
Spain's Interior minister, Juan Ignacio Zoido, made it clear in an interview last week that the borders and checks would be strengthened to avoid Puigdemont being able to enter the country, even in "a car boot". The operation Zoido set up, however, has so far found no trace of the president.
Meanwhile, the debate remains in place for 3pm Tuesday, surrounded by uncertainties, given that pro-independence parties say they will not back down and the Parliament's speaker, Roger Torrent, hasn't made any statements since receiving the official communication from the Constitutional Court.