Politics

The Catalan chamber wished to pay tribute to pro-independence cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ MP Muriel Casals, who passed away on Sunday. Casals was president of the civil association promoting Catalan language and culture Òmnium Cultural and was regarded as a central figure of the pro-independence movement in Catalonia. The institutional event gathered together representatives from all the authorities in Catalonia and combined protocol speeches with live music and poetry. Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, stated that the best way to honour Casals’ memory will be by “fulfilling her dream” and said that “the new country will also carry her name”. “We will keep on working for our dream, sadder, but firm as a rock”, stated the Parliament’s President, Carme Forcadell, who was, together with Casals, one of the main people responsible for the pro-independence massive rallies which have taken place in Barcelona for the past six years.

The Spanish Constitutional Court (TC) has accepted the appeal presented by the Spanish executive to suspend the new Catalan Ministry for Foreign Affairs. Thus, the department lead by pro-independence cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ top member, Raül Romeva will be suspended at first for five months, which is the period that the TC has to study whether the new Ministry is in line with the Spanish Constitution. Earlier this month, the current Spanish vice president, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, and current Spanish Minister for Justice, Rafael Catalá claimed that the Catalan government had exceeded the competences in matters of foreign action specified in the Catalan Statute of Autonomy. For his part, the Catalan President Carles Puigdemont assured that Catalonia “will continue to do foreign action”and defended the legitimacy of the new department. 

The Catalan government has decided to recognise Muriel Casals, one of the Catalan pro-independence movement’s central figures, who died last Sunday, with the Gold Medal of the Generalitat. The award is the highest prize given to those individuals or institutions whose work in the political, social, economic, cultural or scientific field has been outstanding. President of the civil society association Òmnium Cultural between 2010 and 2015, Casals was responsible for the massive pro-independence rallies which have taken to the streets of Barcelona for the past six years. In 2015, she joined pro-independence cross-party list 'Junts Pel Sí' and ran for the 27-S Catalan Elections. Recently, she was named president of the Study Committee for the Constitutive Process, responsible for setting the basis for Catalonia's roadmap towards independence.

Alternative left ‘Podemos’ have insisted that any agreement with the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) will depend on accommodation of their proposal to hold a referendum “with guarantees” and with “a single, clear question” in Catalonia. Podemos’ leader, Pablo Iglesias, emphasised his party’s will to “reform the territorial model” in Spain and recognise the different “national realities”. However, PSOE’s spokesman in the Spanish Parliament, Antonio Hernando, has closed the door on Podemos’ proposal. “We will say no to this referendum” he stated and assured that Iglesias “doesn’t know where he stands”. The Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) have lauded PSOE’s response, with their spokeswoman, Esther Niubó, adding that Podemos’ conditions “are not helping” to form a new government in Spain.  

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.

Almost two months after the 20-D Spanish Elections, current Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, and Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) leader, Pedro Sánchez, have met. After the encounter, which lasted less than half an hour, Rajoy announced that he may still put himself forward for investiture. “The most reasonable thing, in democratic terms, would be a government led by the People’s Party” he stated and added that PP won the 20-D elections and obtained “more than one million votes more” than PSOE. Regarding the approach towards Catalonia’s push for independence, Rajoy said they hadn’t talked about it but emphasised the commitment of both leaders to “complying with the Spanish Constitution”. Rajoy also referred to Catalan President Carles Puigdemont’s statement to Barcelona’s diplomats, considering it “lamentable and unconstitutional” to have told the consuls that “Catalonia walks towards independence”.

Catalan President Carles Puigdemont warned diplomats stationed in the Catalan capital that they “will be busy in the coming months” even more than usual, since Catalonia “is walking towards independence”. Puigdemont made this statement during the traditional reception of the Barcelona-based consuls, together with the Catalan Minister for Foreign Affairs, Raül Romeva, and Catalan Minister for Business and Knowledge, Jordi Baiget. The Catalan President also asked the diplomatic community “to explain [Catalonia’s process] properly” to their countries and assured that he is at their disposal to address any concerns they may have. In the same vein, Romeva called on those present to find a “suitable framework” to deal with all their possible doubts in an in-depth manner. 

“Defending national unity” is one of the key points that current Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy established in the People’s Party (PP) proposal for reaching agreements in order to form a stable government in Spain. A national unity “which is threatened”, according to Rajoy. Besides fighting Catalonia’s push for independence, Rajoy’s proposal also includes fighting towards economic recovery, strengthening the basis of the welfare state, fighting against terrorism and reinforcing the democratic bond between citizens and politicians. PP’s leader handed over the document to anti-Catalan nationalism Ciutadans leader Albert Rivera, with whom he held a meeting today. The proposal has also been sent to Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) leader Pedro Sánchez, who is currently attempting to form government. 

The judicial process for alleged fiscal fraud and money laundering against family members of the President of Catalonia between 1980 and 2003 Jordi Pujol continues. This Wednesday, Pujol testified before Spain's High Court, 'La Audiencia Nacional', and gave further details on his father’s legacy, some €4 million which it is alleged was kept in Andorra for 34 years without informing tax authorities. He insisted that his father, Florenci, left the sum for Jordi Pujol’s wife and children, not for him, due to the risk of retaliation for his political activities in the years after Franco’s death. The founder of the centre-right Catalan nationalist coalition CiU in the 1970s also set himself apart from some of his sons’ businesses and denied being a corrupt politician. His wife, Marta Ferrusola, refused to answer any questions from either the judge or the prosecution.

“The Catalan Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Institutional Relations and Transparency is the first structure of state that the Catalan government has created and proves [Catalonia’s] unequivocal will to become a state” stated the new Catalan Minister for Foreign Affairs, Raül Romeva. The pro-independence cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ top member and former MEP aims to “increase Catalonia’s visibility as a global actor” during the upcoming 17 months, the planned duration of the new Catalan executive. “Our action must be regarded as an investment, rather than a cost” he stated, addressing Spain’s pro-unity parties. During his appearance in Parliament, Romeva also wanted to stress that “those who defend a new state reached the majority in this chamber in the 27-S elections”.

The new Catalan Ministry for Foreign Affairs will be taken before the Spanish Constitutional Court (TC) after Spain’s executive considered it to be in a “conflict of jurisdiction” and beyond the competences in matters of foreign action specified in the Catalan Statute of Autonomy.Thus, the Spanish government aims to stop the “internationalisation of the Catalan process”, the launching of which the Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, defended  during his investiture ceremony. For his part, the Catalan Minister for Foreign Affairs, Raül Romeva, assured that Catalonia “has done, does and will continue to do foreign action”. Former MEP and pro-independence cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ leader Romeva also insisted on the “legitimacy” of the new department. In the same vein, the Catalan government’s spokeswoman, Neus Munté, assessed Spain’s announcement as typical of a “decadent” government.

The current Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, announced that the processing of the three laws which would prepare Catalonia for its disconnection process from Spain may be taken before the court. According to Rajoy, Spain’s legal services will analyse these laws and if evidence that they “could contradict what it is said in the Constitution” is found “the Spanish government will act as is has done up to now”. “The government is temporary, but the State, the Constitution and the laws are still in force” he warned. Rajoy also announced that the executive will approve this Friday a conflict of jurisdiction to be presented to the Spanish Constitutional Court regarding the creation of the new Catalan Ministry for Foreign Affairs. 

“Catalonia’s push for independence is for real and you have realised too late” stated Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, addressing the future Spanish government. During the first session of control in the Parliament, Puigdemont criticised the difficulty of the Spanish government in reaching an agreement. The Parliament has also approved this Wednesday an extension of the public budget for 2015,thanks to 5 votes in favour and 4 abstentions from radical left pro-independence CUP. Cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’ and CUP described this extension as “fundamental” to launching the social action plan. The pro-independence parties also lodged this Wednesday the request to start creating the legal framework which would allow the disconnection process from Spain to be started.

This Wednesday, Spain’s king Philip VI requested Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) leader Pedro Sánchez to start the negotiations with the other groups in the Spanish Parliament so that the first investiture debate can take place. Sánchez assured that he is “aware of the difficulties” but expressed his will to “unblock the current situation” in Spain. PSOE obtained 90 seats from the 350 in the Spanish Parliament and would therefore need the support of both alternative left ‘Podemos’ (68 seats) and anti-Catalan nationalism Ciutadans (40 seats) to reach the absolute majority. However, Podemos has openly expressed its support for holding a referendum in Spain, while both PSOE and Ciutadans have repeatedly rejected the possibility of holding such a poll. The Conservative People’s Party (PP), the party currently governing Spain, obtained 123 MPs in the 20^th of December Spanish elections. 

If Catalonia proclaims its independence, the international community will in the end “accommodate itself to the new reality”, stated former Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs, Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson. “Don’t be scared by scaremongering. In the end, all nations and all political leaders have to accommodate themselves to new realities” he assured in an interview with CNA. Although he predicted that proclaiming independence outside of the law will at first be considered “illegal” for the international community, “freezing Catalonia out forever” would be “nonsense”. Baldvin Hannibalsson recognised the Baltic States’ independence in 1991, when neither the United States nor the European powers dared to do so for fear of confronting the USSR.