Catalan president to consider resignation if government fails to pass budget

Catalan president Quim Torra has said that the continuity of his government will be in question if it fails to pass the budget for 2019. In an exclusive interview with the Catalan News Agency (ACN), the head of the pro-independence ruling coalition opened the door to calling a new election if the parliament rejects his financial plan.

“Governments often resign when they fail to pass a budget, I take that to be a self-fulfilling democratic mandate,” he said.

Yet Torra made it clear that having the bill rejected is not among his plans, as he is confident that he will get at least the votes from far-left CUP, the smallest pro-independence party in the chamber.

In response, CUP demanded of Torra a "180-degree turn" for the party to back his budget. Laia Estrada, a party spokesperson, advised him not to count on them if the government planned to abide by Spain's territorial status quo and enforce "neoliberal policies."

With only four seats, CUP was instrumental in appointing Torra as president last May. Their abstention allowed Junts per Catalunya (JxCat) and Esquerra (ERC), the two main pro-independence parties in parliament, to outnumber no-votes from unionist parties.