Spanish government will not attend Torra’s inauguration

No Spanish government representative will attend Quim Torra’s inauguration ceremony as Catalan president. Madrid says that the Catalan administration has tried to “impose” which rank of official should attend the event, terms it does not accept. According to the Spanish government, the inauguration as planned by the Catalan officials will “degrade the institution’s dignity.”

Torra will take the oath of office at 11.30am on Thursday, and once the event is over, he will have officially become the 131st President of Catalonia. The event is expected to be brief, restrained and without any guests, given the exceptional circumstances the country is currently living under. What’s more, Torra has stressed a number of times that the ultimate aim is to reinstate Carles Puigdemont as Catalan president. This unlikely inauguration for the highest office in Catalonia is also still marked by ongoing direct rule from Madrid.

In taking the oath, Torra will use the same words as his predecessor, Puigdemont, thus omitting any reference to the Spanish king or the Constitution. In 2016, the pro-independence leader promised “loyalty to the will of the Catalan people, as represented by the parliament.” Puigdemont, who is in Germany waiting for his extradition process to unfold, will be unable to take part in the ceremony, as predecessors to the post traditionally do.