Pro-independence parties to back Puigdemont’s legitimacy as president

Catalonia’s pro-independence parties are to support Carles Puigdemont’s legitimacy as president in a motion to be voted on in parliament on Thursday. The move comes after weeks of talks to form a new government, and some see it as a sign that the Junts per Catalunya, Esquerra Republicana and CUP parties are close to an agreement that would put an end to months of direct rule by the Spanish government.

Controversial amendments

The text of the motion leaves out some amendments suggested by the far-left CUP, asking the pro-independence parties to stand by October’s declaration of independence. That proposal sparked controversy. On Wednesday, Spain’s attorney general warned that the amendments could be illegal, and therefore could hinder the prospects of Catalan leaders prosecuted for pursuing independence.The Spanish government said they were considering whether to bring parliament bureau members who allowed the vote to court. Yet on Thursday morning the parliament bureau brought to floor the controversial amendments to the motion, despite Spain's attorney general's opposition. 

While the motion excludes the October 27 declaration of independence, it refers to the October 1 referendum and the December 21 election, in which pro-independence parties held on to a narrow majority in parliament. “A majority in favor of pro-independence parties and constituting Catalonia as an independent state in the form of a republic was ratified,” reads the text.

Puigdemont, currently in Belgium seeking refuge from the Spanish justice system, was the most voted candidate in the pro-independence bloc. Yet, an attempt to reinstate him as president failed a month ago after Spain’s Constitutional Court ruled that he could not be sworn in at a distance.

Although the text states that Puigdemont “continues to have a majority in parliament to be elected president,” it does not say that he must be the only person eligible for this role. Puigdemont’s role in the new government was a matter of dispute between the pro-independence parties. While he is likely to keep a leading role in the independence movement, Puigdemont will probably leave his institutional role to another person.