Torra and Puigdemont to meet in Berlin on Tuesday

Catalonia’s new president, Quim Torra, will travel to Berlin on Tuesday to meet with deposed Catalan leader and the head of Junts per Catalunya (JxCat), Carles Puigdemont, said parliament sources on Monday. After their meeting, the 130th and 131st presidents of Catalonia will later give a joint news conference at 4pm in the Sana Berlin Hotel.

Torra, who was put forward as a presidential candidate by Puigdemont after the latter’s bid was blocked by the courts, will return to Catalonia on Wednesday. According to parliamentary rules, from the moment of his appointment the new president has five days to officially take up his post before he can appoint ministers to the new executive.

According to JxCat’s declared strategy, the government in Catalonia will work in tandem with a Council of the Republic, headed by Puigdemont in Berlin. The deposed Catalan leader must remain in Germany while a court there decides on his extradition to Spain. Puigdemont was granted a proxy vote by the Catalan parliament, although this has been challenged in court by the Catalan branch of Spain’s ruling People’s Party and Cs.