Catalonia MPS elect separatist leader as parliament reconvenes
● Independence push to continue ● Questions over jailed politicians
Catalonia’s new parliament has elected a pro-secession speaker, virtually guaranteeing the push for independence for Spain’s north-eastern region will continue as its MPS prepare to elect a new government.
The opening session of the new Catalan assembly came amid looming questions about the role that fugitive and jailed politicians will play within the chamber’s separatist majority and the future regional government.
Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, who fled to Belgium in October avoiding a Spanish judicial inquiry over a foiled secession attempt, wants to be reinstated to his old job. But he faces arrest if he returns to Spain and legal hurdles if he wants to be voted in from abroad by the regionciutadans al assembly. Mr Puigdemont’s and other empty seats in the parliament were adorned with yellow ribbons yesterday.
Four ex-cabinet members sought by Spain’s Supreme Court are also in Brussels. Three more elected MPS – including former Catalan vice-president Oriol Junqueras – have been jailed on provisional charges of rebellion or sedition.
Other former Cabinet members and parliamentary officials have been released from jail but remain under investigation.
Spanish central authorities took direct control of Catalonia following the unilateral declaration of independence by separatist politicians on 27 October.
Under special powers, Spain fired Mr Puigdemont’s government, dissolved parliament and forced a new regional election on 21 December in the hope of halting the secession drive.
But contrary to Madrid’s hopes, separatists regained their slim parliamentary majority despite receiving less than half of the votes, although (Citizens) – a party that fiercely opposes independence – gained the most seats.
Several hundred people rallied near the parliament in central barcelona, waving separatist flags as they watched the new house speaker’s election on a large outdoor screen.
Roger Torrent, an MP with the left-republican ERC party, was elected to head the assembly’s governing committee that plays a key role in deciding what issues are debated and voted on in parliament.
“I want democracy and coexistence to be the foundations of this term,” Mr Torrent told fellow MPS from the speaker’s podium, vowing at the same time to restore the self-government of Catalonia that is now in the hands of Madrid. He said that, as speaker, he would defend the right of “all 135 voices in the chamber,” including those fugitive or in jail.
But Ciutadans leader Ines Arrimadas criticised the inauguralsession, saying :“we start the legislature as we finished the last one, with a parliament speaker who is going to work only for independence.”
She pointed out that things had changed because the secessionist bloc now had fewer seats and the independence stance had no international support.
“No matter what happens, we are going to be the guarantors for Catalonia not to make any independence declaration,” she said.
Although Ms Arrimadas’s party won the most seats, with 36, she lacks the support to form a government.
Mr Torrent is tasked with choosing a candidate to try to form a government by the end of the month. The two secessionist parties back the candidacy of Mr Puigdemont, but the former president would first have to get approval from Mr Torrent’s committee to vote and be elected from abroad.
Elsa Artadi, spokeswoman for Mr Puigdemont’s Junts per Catalunya (“Together for Catalonia”), said the separatists are “working to explore all the tools in the parliament’s rules to see what will be the formula”.