Aragonès faces calls to put presidential bid on hold until government deal is reached

The main take from Pere Aragonès’ first attempt to be invested as Catalan president, which was doomed even before lawmakers arrived in parliament on Friday, is that his chances of garnering enough support in time for the second round of voting are scarce too.

Despite holding most seats in the Catalan parliament, a majority that increased in the recent election, pro-independence forces have so far failed to reach a three-party agreement to appoint Aragonès as the next head of government.

While he is expected to get the ‘yes’ votes from far-left CUP and his own party, Esquerra Republicana (ERC), the abstention announced by Junts per Catalunya (JxCat) on Thursday means that his bid for office will be rejected by opposition groups when votes are cast on Friday night.