Catalan parliament and Spain to clash over bill to allow Puigdemont’s swearing-in

The Parliament of Catalonia is set to clash with Spanish institutions after pro-independence parties used their majority to amend a law in order to allow Carles Puigdemont, the deposed president of Catalonia, to be sworn in as head of the government from Germany.

The Spanish government announced that it was ready to challenge the eventual amendment to the presidential law in the Constitutional Court—a move that would automatically put the bill on hold. On Friday, Madrid requested a consultative body report before bringing the bill to court.

In yet another attempt to appoint a new Catalan president, pro-independence parties aim to provide a legislative framework for Puigdemont to retake his post at a distance. All attempts to elect a new head of government have so far been blocked by the Spanish judiciary, after pro-independence parties held on to a majority in parliament in last December’s election.

Pro-independence parties decided to fast-track the amendment of the law with single reading—this, despite the opposition of the rest of forces in the chamber, who deemed this decision as unjustified considering the importance of the bill.