New Catalan Ministers sworn in, creating “100% cohesive” government

Barcelona (ACN).- A brief swearing-in ceremony was held on Monday in the Generalitat Palace (the seat of the Catalan Government) when – after the Cabinet reshuffle – four new Catalan Ministers officially took office. During the event, the President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, stated that the new Executive is "100% cohesive" in defending the full independence of Catalonia. This statement comes after the "painful" but "inevitable" separation between his party, Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya (CDC) and its historical ally, Unió Democràtica de Catalunya (UDC); a long awaited split mostly due to disagreement over Catalonia's independence debate. During the ceremony, Mas also thanked the three outgoing Ministers, particularly outgoing Catalan ex-Vice President Joana Ortega, who in the most turbulent times of the legislature took "the courage and did what was necessary", he said, referring to the 9-N (the vote on Catalonia's independence held on 9 November 2014).

 

Neus Munté, Meritxell Borràs, Jordi Jané and Jordi Ciuraneta were sworn into office on Monday, officially becoming the new Catalan Vice President, the new Minister for Public Administration and Institutional Relations, and the new Ministers for Home Affairs and Agriculture respectively. During the official event, Mas delivered a speech stating that the newly reshuffled Government fully supports the full independence of Catalonia as in the 'yes-yes' option of the 9-N referendum..

The Government will work both for the self-determination process and on daily issues

Mas acknowledged that the debate on Catalan independence was the driver of the "painful but probably inevitable separation" with UDC. However, the Catalan Government, he stressed, will work in order to allow an effective Catalan self-determination process, but will also manage day-to-day issues, "working for everyone". Mas also stated that working for Catalan independence does not mean working only for a part of the country, but for everyone, because everyone will be able to express his or her opinion on the future of Catalonia.

Before that, Mas expressed his gratitude and affection for the three outgoing Ministers. With them, he stated, he collaborated "with loyalty and efficiency" in "very complicated" times when the Government had to "take decisions which were not always fully satisfactory and, sometimes, had to do so reluctantly". "The times required us to take important responsibilities and you three did it in a major way with my full satisfaction", he concluded.

A special thanks was addressed to former Vice-President, Joana Ortega

A special thanks was addressed to former Vice Minister, Joana Ortega, for "the courage and wisdom shown" in the most turbulent moment of the legislature, when Catalonia voted in a non-binding consultation last November. "We had almost everything against us" he added.

Mas wished the new members of Government luck and success, highlighting that he nominated as Vice President the Minister for Social Welfare and Family, Neus Munté, in order to place the social aspect "at the forefront of government's priorities".

Neus Munté – the new Catalan Vice President – takes on the role of Spokesperson for the Catalan Government, after talks between Mas and Francesc Homs (who, until Monday, held this position). Indeed, the President said that, in the coming months, the latter is going to be more directly involved in the campaign leading up to the 27–S elections, considered by ‘Yes’ parties as plebiscite-style elections. Finally, Mas emphasised that, with the Cabinet reshuffle, the Executive's territorial balance has been strengthened.

The official announcement of the split between CDC and UDC came on Thursday

The official announcement of the split between the Christian-Democrat UDC, the smaller force within the centre-right pro-Catalan State two-party coalition CiU, and the Liberal party CDC came on Thursday morning.

The main driver of the separation was the Catalan independence debate. Indeed, while CDC has been supporting full independence from Spain since late 2012, UDC does not have a clear stance on the issue and most of its leadership is actually against it, supporting a non-independent Catalan State that would be confederated with Spain.