Salvador Illa sworn in as 133rd president of Catalonia
Socialist was elected with support of pro-independece ERC and left-wing Comuns
Salvador Illa, of the Socialist Party, has been sworn in as the 133rd president of Catalonia during a ceremony that took place in the Catalan government headquarters in Barcelona on Saturday.
Present at the ceremony were various figures from the Catalan and Spanish political sphere, including former parliament speaker Roger Torrent, of the pro-independence party Esquerra Republicana, and Spanish ministers María Jesús Montero, Félix Bolaños, and Jordi Hereu, as well as Barcelona mayor Jaume Collboni, who are all from the Socialist Party.
Illa's predecessor in the presidency, Pere Aragonès, gave Illa the presidential medal at the ceremony.
In his speech, the Socialist leader promised to "govern as well as he can for every Catalan."
"This institution is for all Catalans, it has to be in service of everyone," he added.
This new government intends to bring "maximum freedom, prosperity, and equality" to Catalonia.
The new president defended that "the Catalan language, the culture, and the territory are never aimed against anyone."
Salvador Illa was voted president on Thursday in an eventful investiture debate in the parliament, as during all day former president Carles Puigdemont's whereabouts were unknown.
He obtained an absolute majority with support from pro-independence Esquerra Republicana and left-wing Comuns Sumar.
The Socialist Party obtained 42 seats in the last Catalan election, which means that he will have to make deals with other parties in order to push measures forward in this new government.