artur mas

Former Catalan President, Artur Mas, will have to testify before Barcelona’s High Court on Monday along with former vice-president Joana Ortega and former education minister Irene Rigau for allowing the 9-N symbolic vote on independence in 2014. In several appearances before the press this past Sunday, Mas insisted that he has “nothing to apologise for” and that the three whom have been summonsed face the trial “calmly and in good spirit” but also “moved and grateful for the people’s support”. “They wanted us on our knees, but they will find us standing”, he said. “It is a shameful trial, it is absolutely against democracy”, he said and pointed out that the “success of the 9-N and its high turnout” is what drove the case to the court. Mas, Ortega and Rigau are accused of criminal disobedience and breach of trust for holding the non-binding referendum and could receive a 10-year ban on holding public office if convicted.

The main pro-independence civil society organisations in Catalonia, the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), Òmnium Cultural, the Association of Municipalities for Independence (AMI) and the Catalan Association of Municipalities (ACM) have called for mobilisation once again. Under the motto ‘Love Democracy’ the associations aim to show the citizens’ support for former Catalan President, Artur Mas, who faces trial next Monday for allowing the 9-N symbolic vote on independence in 2014, together with former Catalan Ministers Joana Ortega and Irene Rigau. So far, nearly 30,000 people have joined the initiative and are expected to fill Barcelona’s Lluís Companys Avenue, where Catalonia’s Supreme Court is located and where the summonsed will have to testify for alleged disobedience and perversion of justice. 

Catalonia’s Public Prosecutor requested this Monday 10 years of ineligibility for public office for the former Catalan President, Artur Mas, for organising the 9-N symbolic vote on independence in 2014. Judges Francisco Bañeres and Emilio Sánchez Ulled also demanded a 9-year ban for the two other public figures summonsed over the same case, former Vice President Joana Ortega and former Catalan Minister for Education Irene Rigau. According to the judges, the three summonsed were “fully aware” that by preparing the non-binding consultation “they were breaking the mandatory rulings of the Spanish Constitutional Court” which urged the Catalan executive to stop the process four days before the 9-N took place. Mas considered the whole case “a chain of nonsense” and assured that “it is an honour to be sentenced by a Spanish State which doesn’t respect the separation of powers”.

The former Catalan Minister and Catalan Democratic Party (PDC) spokesman in the Spanish Parliament, Francesc Homs, testified on Monday before the Spanish Supreme Court. The politician is being investigated for co-organising the 9-N symbolic vote on independence in 2014. During his testimony the former Mminister stated that the consultation was “legal” because it “corresponded to the Catalan Parliament mandate”. Moreover, Homs claimed that the main Spanish institutions are not acting with autonomy but are rather “copycatting People’s Party interests”. “The sentence has been already been dictated” and “it is going to be condemnatory and not absolving”, said Homs with regret.

Catalonia’s Supreme Court (TSJC) has dismissed this Thursday the appeals filed by former Catalan President Artur Mas, former Vice-President Joana Ortega and former Catalan Minister of Education Irene Rigau against their prosecution for alleged crimes of disobedience and administrative prevarication when organising the 9-N symbolic vote on independence. The Court magistrates believe that it is necessary to go on with the prosecution of the defendants for having authorised and co-organised the consultation, which took place on 9 November 2014. In its resolution, the TSJC insists on the “conscious resistance” of the three politicians to the Spanish Constitutional Court’s suspension of the participatory process. The resolution arrives three days before former Catalan Minister for Presidency, Francesc Homs, is due to testify in Madrid for the same cause.

Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, stated this Thursday that he “will do the same” as the previous Government did regarding the 9-N symbolic vote on independence, which took place in 2014. “If the Government has to make decisions in a comparable situation, we will do exactly the same and assume responsibility before those who believe that the Rule of Law is not reinforced by participation but through the Court”, he said. Puigdemont made this statement, joined by Catalan Vice President, Oriol Junqueras, after meeting with former Catalan Minister and Catalan Democratic Party (PDC) spokesman in the Spanish Parliament, Francesc Homs, who is due to testify before the Supreme Court for co-organising the 9-N symbolic vote on independence.

Former Catalan Minister and Catalan Democratic Party (PDC) spokesman in the Spanish Parliament, Francesc Homs, will have to testify before the Supreme Court for co-organising the 9-N symbolic vote on independence in 2014. Before that, however, he will receive the institutional support of the Catalan Government, the board of the PDC and that of several pro-independence associations. On Monday, when Homs is due to appear before the Court in Madrid, he will be joined by former Catalan President, Artur Mas, who was also summonsed for organising the 9-N, Catalan Government Spokeswoman, Neus Munté, Catalan Minister for Culture, Santi Vila and Catalan Minister for Public Administration Meritxell Borràs.

CNA interviewed former Catalan President, Artur Mas, on his visit to London last week. Mas, one of the main figures who put Catalonia’s pro-independence roadmap on the political agenda again, insisted on the need to hold a referendum in Catalonia in order to “count whether or not there is a real social majority in favour of independence” and start “creating structures of state”. He also praised “the huge mobilisations” which have taken to the streets of Catalonia for the last five years on the 11^th of September and which have proved “how broad the majority in favour of self-determination is”. “For the first time in decades we’ve had the possibility to explain to the entire world what is really happening in our country” he stated and added that thanks to these powerful demonstrations “the world has seen that Catalonia is determined to go ahead with this process”. 

The Catalan Democratic Party (PDC), the new political force which has emerged after former governing liberal Convergència decided to reinvent itself, will be led by former Catalan President Artur Mas. “This is a new party because we want a new country”, stated Mas in a press conference on Saturday, after winning the primary election for the PDC’s leadership with 95.07% of votes. The Catalan Government’s spokeswoman, Neus Munté, was designated PDC’s vice president and Marta Pascal and David Bonvehí will be the party’s general coordinators. Pascal insisted that the PDC “has to be a political reference point for the new state” and admitted that a unilateral referendum on independence “is a real option”.

Former Catalan President, Artur Mas, along with former Catalan Vice President, Joana Ortega and former Minister for Education, Irene Rigau won’t be accused for misappropriation of public funds in relation to the 9-N symbolic vote on independence. This is what the public prosecutor announced this Monday, after considering that the expenses related to the non-binding consultation were made before the suspension enacted by the Spanish Constitutional Court (TC). Nevertheless, the attorneys asked Catalonia’s Supreme Court (TSJC) to ignore the accused defences’ petition to file the case and summon the trio for the other crimes included in the lawsuit, which are alleged disobedience and perversion of justice.

Liberal ‘Convergència’ (CDC) will be from now on named the ‘Catalan Democratic Party’. This is what 871 people voted for at this weekend’s 18^th Congress of the party, while 657 opted for the other final option, the ‘Catalan National Party’. The aim of the Congress was to reinvent CDC, which ruled in Catalonia together with Christian Democrats ‘Unió’ for nearly 30 years, and adapt the party to “the new challenges ahead”. The ‘Catalan Democratic Party’ is defined as a pro-independence party instead of sovereigntist, which CDC used to be. Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, celebrated that the new party “is at the Government’s, Parliament’s and Catalan society’s disposal” to help him achieve the task which he was entrusted with, that is to say putting Catalonia at the gates of independence.

Liberal Convergència (CDC), the party which ruled in Catalonia together with Christian Democrat ‘Unió’ for nearly 30 years,wants to reinvent itself. CDC, currently led by former Catalan President Artur Mas, has reinforced its pro-independence component since it split from ‘Unió’ and now aims to “create a new instrument” in line with “the new challenges ahead”. The party also aims to renew its board and Mas suggested a tandem formed by himself and Catalan Government spokeswoman, Neus Munté to head it. All these questions will be discussed this weekend at the 18^th CDC Congress and the new steps to take will have to be voted upon by more than 3,000 people.

The creation of a joint pro-independence candidature in Catalonia to run for the upcoming Spanish elections on the 26^th of June would show that “sovereignism has won in the world’s eyes”. This is what former Catalan President, Artur Mas, stated in an interview with 8TV. He also admitted to being “willing” to do “whatever it takes” including leading this potential list, as “an act of service”. However, the Catalan pro-independence parties in the Spanish Parliament have different opinions regarding the possibility of running together on the 26-J. While former CDC ‘Democràcia i Llibertat’ consider the joint candidature as “the best formula”, left wing pro-independence ERC have insisted that “ideological diversity gets better results”.

The former Catalan President will give a public lecture at the prestigious French business school École des Hautes Études Commercials on the 26th of April. Artur Mas will defend that the process towards independence is not harming investment in Catalonia in a talk titled ‘Foreign Investment during Political Crisis: the Catalan Case’. His successor as Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Raül Romeva, have asked Mas to help them promote Catalonia abroad. Mas is considered an asset for Catalonia, given his broad international experience and his “status” as former President.

Pro-independence cross-party list 'Junts Pel Sí' MP Muriel Casals died this Sunday at the age of 70. Former president of civil society association Òmnium Cultural, Muriel was one of the greatest exponents of the pro-independence movement in Catalonia. Recently, she was named president of the Study Committee for the Constitutive Process, responsible for setting the basis for Catalonia's roadmap towards independence. Together with Carme Forcadell, Parliament's President and former president of pro-independence grassroots organisation Catalan National Assembly, Muriel was responsible for the massive pro-independence rallies which have taken to the streets of Barcelona for the past six years. Casals had been in hospital since the 30^th of January, after being hit by a bicycle in Barcelona. She failed to recover from a traumatic brain injury.