Opposition leading party wants constituent forum to be challenged in court

The main unionist party in Catalonia, Ciutadans, has urged the Spanish government to challenge the newly created forum for “constituent debate” in Spain’s Constitutional Court.

Barely an hour after it was presented, a senior Ciutadans MP argued that the Catalan president “continues the coup to democracy which was made a year ago.”  

In the same vein, shortly before details on such advisory body were announced, the leader of opposition in Catalonia, Inés Arrimadas, warned that both the forum and the Council of the Republic are an “attack” on Catalonia’s institutions.

While the Council of the Republic is a private body led by former president Carles Puigdemont aiming to make the case for Catalan independence from abroad, the authority for a “constituent debate” is willing to launch a discussion open to all citizens to “rethink society in the 21st century.”

For Arrimadas, both initiatives mean “continue violating the rights of Catalans” as the pro-independence forces are willing to create a “parallel government” without any parliamentary or juridical control.

While emphasizing that both projects are “extremely serious,” Arrimadas said in an interview with the Spanish radio broadcaster (RNE) that she will not promote a vote of no confidence against the current government because she would not have enough support in Parliament. 

Catalunya en Comú-Podem: "Another step in the politics of gesticulation"

Meanwhile, the left-wing coalition, Catalunya en Comú Podem, was also critical and called both the Council of the Republic and the new constituent forum "another step in the politics of gesticulation," by the government.

The head of the party's parliamentary group, Jéssica Albiach, accused the pro-independence parties of "continuing to move in symbolic terrain" without "specifying what their proposals are."