Rajoy tells Torra he will not authorize appointment of ministers in jail or abroad

Spanish president Mariano Rajoy has told his Catalan counterpart Quim Torra that he will not authorize the appointment as ministers of pro-independence leaders in jail or seeking refuge in other European countries.

Last October, Rajoy responded to a declaration of independence by imposing direct rule and dismissing the Catalan government. When he was sworn in as president two weeks ago, Torra pledged to reinstate the ministers deposed from Madrid. Yet Rajoy, still in control of the Catalan government, is blocking some of Torra’s nominees.

Four deposed ministers accepted Torra’s offer to be reinstated, including Jordi Turull and Josep Rull, who are in prison. They were sacked from their posts as heads of presidency and territory departments. The Catalan leader also picked Lluís Puig (Culture) and Toni Comín (Health) for his cabinet, both of whom are in Brussels.

A Catalan government juridical advisor committee ruled that Torra’s nominees should be able to assume their posts, and that Madrid has to allow the nominations to be published in Catalonia’s official gazette (DOGC).

For the lawyers, forming a government is within Torra’s attributions, which are “not subject to the authorization or control” of direct rule. “There is no legal circumstance exempting the ministers from taking office,” says the non-binding ruling.

Torra brought the blocking of his nominations to Spain’s High Court in Catalonia (TSJC), but the court responded by saying that it is not competent enough to decide.