Catalonia holds its breath over investiture debate for new president

Today is the day. Again. After much anticipation, an investiture debate to swear in the next Catalan president is due to begin at noon. The new candidate for the post, Quim Torra, was put forward by Carles Puigdemont in a surprise announcement on Thursday evening. But this is not the first attempt at forming a new government in Catalonia, after the last one was deposed following a declaration of independence last year and an election was called by Madrid. Howeveer, Torra is not expected to win the overall majority needed to be elected in the first round, so a second vote is expected on Monday.  

The deposed president, Carles Puigdemont, had his bid to become leader of the country blocked for a second time earlier this week. The Spanish Constitutional Court suspended a bill that would amend the presidency law that would have allowed Puigdemont to be sworn in from Germany.

Who is Quim Torra?

Quim Torra (Blanes, 1962) will be the 131st President of Catalonia if his bid is successful. Lawyer, editor and writer, he was 11th on Junts per Catalunya’s candidate list for Barcelona. A trusted ally of Carles Puigdemont, sources in the parliamentary group describe him as an independence leader with a hard-hitting way of talking and one that is "clearly republican". Sources close to Torra say he fits the profile of a Catalan president that will provide a bridge with Puigdemont in "exile", and whose discourse at the head of the Catalan Government will be coherent with that of his predecessor. He thus fits with JxCat’s strategy of choosing a provisional figure who understands that the "legitimate" president is Puigdemont.

Until Thursday, Torra was a fairly unknown figure in Catalan politics for the international public, but he is now vying for the top post in the country. So far, the Spanish authorities have made no objections to his bid despite having blocked three previous candidates, including Puigdemont. Even so, Torra has not been spared criticism from unionist parties in Catalonia. Some commentators went as far as saying he would be a “puppet president” for Puigdemont. 

Lifting direct rule

The Spanish government has said that "whoever" is elected as new Catalan president, will "have to respect the law." In a press statement after Puigdemont named Torra as the next candidate, the Spanish executive said that the candidate "should be in the position to comply with his responsibilities" and always respect the Constitution and laws. If these conditions are met, Spain did say that it would be willing to engage in dialogue with the next Catalan president.

Spain also confirmed on Friday that the direct rule over Catalonia will be lifted “as soon as a new executive is formed” in the country. Its spokesman, Íñigo Méndez de Vigo, ruled out that the unprecedented measures against Catalan self-rule would be kept when a new government takes office.

Reactions

The leader of unionist Ciutadans (Cs), Inés Arrimadas, urged Torra to condemn the independence path followed by his predecessor. "We need a president who admits the failure of the path to independence and who respects the law," she insisted.

The socialist party in Catalonia (PSC), led by Miquel Iceta, said that if Torra is elected should govern "respecting the law and the institutions, thinking about the whole country and not only those that want independence." The PSC regretted that, in their view, Torra is one of the "most sectarian" MPs in the pro-independence block.

The leader of Catalunya En Comú-Podem (CatECP), Xavier Domènech, said that Torra is not an appropriate candidate for his group. "Catalonia needs a government, to get back its institutions and face the political and social crisis. The candidate doesn't have the trajectory and is not cross-party enough for the moment that we are living," he added.

"Here is how the possible next president of the Catalan government thinks. For him, 'shame is a word that Spaniards have erased from our vocabulary' or '[Spaniards] only know how to exploit."

The smallest pro-independence party, the far-left CUP, shifted focus from Torra's candidacy to the actual policies he will implement as head of government. "For five months we've been asking what their plans are. Depending on their policies we will vote one way or another," said CUP spokesperson Vidal Aragonès in an interview with Catalan public radio. 

Previous investiture attempts

Junts per Catalunya, of which Carles Puigdemont is leader, has so far put forward three candidates for the presidency of Catalonia: Carles Puigdemont himself, Jordi Sànchez, the jailed former activist who has twice been denied permission to attend an investiture debate, and Jordi Turull, the former minister who was jailed before he could attend the second round of his swearing-in vote.

Catalonia has effectively been without its own government since last year, when Madrid dismissed the cabinet following a declaration of independence on October 27, thus stripping the country of its self-rule.

After the election, held on December 21 and called by the Spanish government, pro-independence forces JxCat, Esquerra Republicana, and the CUP kept their overall majority in the parliament, while unionist Ciutadans emerged as the individual party with the most seats. 

If no new government is formed by May 22, a snap election will automatically  be called and Catalans will find themselves heading to the polling stations once again.