Quim Torra to be sworn in as Catalan president

Quim Torra will be elected as the new Catalan president today. The far-left CUP will abstain in the vote, thus paving the way for the Junts per Catalunya candidate to be invested with the positive votes of his group and Esquerra Republicana (ERC).  

Torra will address the chamber on Monday from 10.30am, and the leader of each parliamentary group will have the chance to reply to him. Afterwards, the presidential candidate will answer them and a vote is expected before the afternoon.

In his first speech as presidential candidate on Saturday, Quim Torra urged the Spanish government to open dialogue with his government if he is elected as new Catalan president. "We are willing to negotiate tomorrow, unconditionally," said Torra. "We ask Spain to sit on the same table with us to solve the political problems that we are facing. From government to government," he insisted. "We won't give up anything, not even reaching an agreement with the Spanish government," added Torra.

The presidential candidate also called on the European Union to mediate. Speaking in English, he addressed European Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker: "The Catalan crisis cannot go on for one more second. Catalan people deserve the support and mediation of the European community." Torra warned that the Catalan situation is "unacceptable in a 21st century democracy" in Europe.

The presidential candidate also said that his government will work to "build a Republic" and follow the mandate of the October 1 referendum. "If I gain the trust of the chamber and we start this term, the government will assume full responsibility of its actions," he insisted, warning that what they do in the future shouldn't affect "those in prison or exile." "We want to advance toward the Republic, and that is entirely our responsibility," he insisted.

Torra is well-considered amongst pro-independence forces, but he has been widely criticized by anti-independence groups and the Spanish government, that consider him a "hardliner" and even "sectarian". In his first investiture debate, Cs leader Inés Arrimadas accused Torra of "humiliating" Spanish citizens.