Investiture debate to be held next Tuesday at 3pm

The debate to pick a Catalan president will be held next Tuesday, January 30 at 3pm. The Parliament president, Roger Torrent, announced the date on Thursday evening. Torrent nominated Carles Puigdemont as the only candidate for the investiture debate after speaking with all political groups in the Catalan chamber. Yet, it is still uncertain how Puigdemont intends to take office, as the Spanish government is challenging his bid.

Mariano Rajoy’s vice president, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, announced on Thursday morning that the cabinet had started the procedure to appeal against Puigdemont's candidature for president in the Spanish Constitutional Court. “Mr. Torrent [the Catalan Parliament president] cannot nominate Mr. Puigdemont as president,” said Rajoy’s number 2. She argued that he has an arrest warrant against him in Spain, so he would not be able to attend the Catalan Parliament as he would be arrested as soon as he sets foot in the country. She also explained that it had questioned the consultive Council of State body if a potential investiture at a distance can also be challenged in the Constitutional Court, as well as the MPs in Brussels delegating their vote.

Will Puigdemont return to Catalonia?

The other big obstacle for Puigdemont’s investiture is his current location. He remains in Brussels, and risks being arrested and jailed by the Spanish authorities if he returns to Catalonia. Earlier this month he suggested being sworn in at a distance, either via video or through an MP representing him. This would be an unprecedented move and the Catalan chamber regulations do not specify whether such an investiture is possible. Yet, the Spanish government has already made it clear that it will challenge an investiture by proxy in the Spanish Constitutional Court.

The other option for Puigdemont is to turn up in the Parliament next Tuesday. But while the Spanish Supreme Court decided not to issue an arrest warrant against him for the EU, the same court has ordered his arrest in Spain. Indeed, the Spanish home affairs minister said earlier this week that the police would prevent Puigdemont entering Catalonia “even inside the trunk of a car.”

How the investiture debate works

The session has to start with a speech by the candidate for president. After that, representatives of all political groups have their say on the candidate, which can last several hours. Then a first vote takes place, in which the candidate has to get an absolute majority of the votes (68 out of 135). Otherwise, the candidate remains unelected and a second vote has to be held within 48 hours. In this case, the candidate only needs a simple majority (more Yes votes than No votes) to be elected.

Puigdemont’s Together for Catalonia candidacy wants him elected in the first round of voting. This means all the pro-independence parties should support him –including the far-left CUP party, which has not yet confirmed it will and which has laid down a number of conditions for doing so. However, at least 68 out of the 70 MPs in favor of a Catalan state should be able to vote. Two of them are in prison –a third jailed MP, Joaquim Forn, gave up his post on Tuesday– while five are in Brussels, including Puigdemont. Most of them would have to delegate their votes and Torrent’s parliament bureau would have to accept it.