Spokesperson Bureau convened for this Tuesday to reactivate the pro-independence proposal

The Parliament’s President, Carme Forcadell, has convened the Spokesperson Bureau for this Tuesday, even though Catalonia’s People’s Party (PPC) haven’t yet constituted themselves as a parliamentary group. The aim is to respond to the appeals made by Catalan Socialist Party PSC and Anti-Catalan nationalism Ciutadans, which have urged reconsideration of the approval of the pro-independence forces agreed declaration on starting the independence process. The decision to convene the Spokesperson Bureau, and reactivate the debate on the proposal, arrived after PPC’s handed over of a writ of protection before the Spanish Constitutional Court. According to PPC’s leader, Xavier García Albiol, they took such an action to “avoid the celebration of the plenary session”to debate the pro-independence proposal as “it is absolutely outside of the basic rules of democracy”.

The President of the Catalan Parliament, Carme Forcadell (by ACN)
The President of the Catalan Parliament, Carme Forcadell (by ACN) / ACN / Sara Prim

ACN / Sara Prim

November 2, 2015 02:25 PM

Barcelona (CNA).- In order to reactivate the debate on the pro-independence forces’ agreed proposal to start building a new Catalan State, the Parliament’s President, Carme Forcadell, has convened the Spokesperson Bureau. Although Catalonia’s People’s Party (PPC) haven’t yet constituted themselves as a parliamentary group, Forcadell has scheduled the Spokesperson Bureau for this Tuesday, so that the appeals made by Catalan Socialist Party PSC and Anti-Catalan nationalism Ciutadans, which have urged reconsideration of the approval of the pro-independence proposal, could be responded to. The decision to convene the Spokesperson Bureau arrived after Catalonia’s People’s Party (PPC) handed over a writ of protection before the Spanish Constitutional Court. According to PPC’s leader, Xavier García Albiol, they took such an action to “avoid the celebration of the plenary session”to debate the pro-independence proposal as “it is absolutely outside of the basic rules of democracy”.


According to article 35 of the Parliament’s regulations, the Spokesperson Bureau is constituted by a spokesperson from each parliamentary group and presided over by the Parliament’s president. In the event of a vote, the weight of each spokesperson’s vote is proportional to the number of seats of its parliamentary group. 

The Spokesperson Bureau may be convened on the Parliament president’s own initiative and this is what has happened this Monday. Although Catalonia’s People’s Party (PPC) haven’t yet constituted themselves as a parliamentary group, Forcadell has scheduled the Spokesperson Bureau for this Tuesday. The aim is to listen and respond to Catalan Socialist Party PSC and Anti-Catalan nationalism Ciutadans’appeals, which urge reconsideration of the approval of the pro-independence forces agreed declaration. 

PPC: Catalonia’s political situation is grotesque

The Parliament’s decision to convene the Spokesperson Bureau arrived after PPC’s presented a writ of protection before the Spanish Constitutional Court to stop the plenary session and therefore avoid the debate on the pro-independence declaration. ”We want to avoid the celebration of this plenary session as it completely outside of the basic rules of democracy”, stated PPC’s leader Xavier García Albiol. Albiol described Catalonia’s political situation as “grotesque”, accused Catalan politicians of “make a living of feeling victimised”and urged PSC and Ciutadans to “sit together”and “transmit an image of unity”. “The best that could happen in Catalonia is that Artur Mas would admit that he can’t keep on going on this way and quit the separatist adventure”concluded Albiol.