The Catalan government replaces ministers in preparation of the 1-Oct vote

The ministers Neus Munté (Presidency), Jordi Jané (Home Affairs) and Meritxell Ruiz (Education) have been asked to step down this Friday morning.

The leader of the pro - independence coalition Junts pel Sí (Together for the Yes) in the Catalan Parliament, Jordi Turull, is the new Minister of the Presidency. The city councilor of Barcelona, Joaquim Forn, is to be the new Minister of Home Affairs, and the university professor Clara Ponsati, the new Minister of Education. The new ministers are to be sworn in this Friday afternoon.

What was initially planned to be a reorganisation of the internal functions in the government in the preparation of the referendum announced for October 1 has turned into a deeper reform that has affected three ministers of the PDeCat party. This means four ministers have been replaced since last week when the minister of Business and Knowledge, Jordi Batet, was replaced because he had expressed doubts in public about the viability of the planned referendum. However, there are indications that these latest changes of government are part of a broader strategy in preparation of the possible reactions by the Spanish government and courts in relation to the 1-Oct vote.