Luis Navajas to act as Attorney General until successor is found

Supreme Court attorney Luis Navajas will provisionally assume the responsibilities of the late Spanish Attorney General Manuel Maza, who passed away last Saturday while in Argentina due to a kidney infection. Maza’s sudden death leaves Spain without both its leading prosecutor and one of the most prominent figures of the state’s response against Catalonia’s push for independence.

Navajas will substitute Maza until a successor is appointed, a process which is to follow a due procedure and will not take place immediately, according to Spanish Justice minister Rafael Catalá. In an interview with Spanish national radio RNE, Catalá said that “first of all, we need to search for and identify a person who can uphold such a serious responsibility”.

The next Attorney General will be chosen by the Spanish government and will then be approved by the General Council of Judicial Power. Maza’s successor will also have to appear before the justice commission of the Spanish Parliament. Yet, Spain’s ruling People’s Party does not need the support of the opposition to complete the process.

Still, the government is likely to seek the support of its junior ally Ciudadanos as well as the main opposition party, the Socialists, due to the importance of Maza’s vacant post. This comes in a moment of unprecedented political tension between Madrid and Catalan separatists.