president of the parliament

A month and a half after the 27-S elections, and using up all the deadlines, the Parliament held this Monday the first session of the instatement debate. So far, the only candidate to lead the new government is Artur Mas, the current President and number four in winning cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’. However, the other pro-independence force in the Parliament, radical left CUP, has repeatedly insisted that they won’t instate Mas as President. Without the support of CUP’s 10 MPs, Mas won’t be re-elected, at least not in the first round. “Freedom is beyond ideologies and parties” he stated during his speech before Parliament. “We must orientate the sails in the correct direction in order to use the wind that we received from the 27-S elections”stated Mas, clearly referring to CUP’s position. “We can’t be stuck in the harbour, not after receiving the support to start the journey”. 

Left wing pro-independence ERC has proposed former president of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), Carme Forcadell, to be President of the Catalan Parliament. Forcadell, responsible for the massive rallies on Catalonia's National Day in 2012, 2013 and 2014, assured that she will try to make a Parliament "for everybody", referring to anti-Catalan nationalism Ciutadans, Catalan Socialist Party PSC and alternative left coalition 'Catalunya Sí que Es Pot'. "This is getting serious" stated 'Junts Pel Sí' top member Raül Romeva, who regarded Forcadell's candidacy as proof that the process "has already started". The agreement of cross-party list 'Junts Pel Sí' established that ERC would be in charge of choosing a candidate for President and Spokesperson of the Parliament, while liberal party CDC would designate the President of the Parliamentary group.