KING Felipe VI's annual Christmas Eve speech once again included a covert appeal to secessionist politicians, as well as raising concerns about young adults' struggle to afford housing and violence against women.
Puigdemont's colleague Quim Torra proposed as president
11/05/2018
ANOTHER attempt at swearing in a regional president for Catalunya is due to start at noon tomorrow (Saturday).
After meeting with his party colleagues in Berlin, deposed president Carles Puigdemont – who is on bail in Germany and unable to leave the country – proposed a new name to take over as leader.
Quim Torra (pictured), on Puigdemont's party Junts per Catalunya ('Together for Catalunya', or JxCat) has no pending court action or arrest hanging over him in connection with the disputed independence referendum on October 1.
Puigdemont had initially put forward Jordi Sànchez, his number two and leader of the Catalunya National Assembly, but Sànchez remains in prison awaiting trial for organising a protest which attempted to stop the Guardia Civil from entering the regional Parliament building to seize ballot papers ahead of the referendum.
And Puigdemont himself cannot be sworn in as president, because this would involve his having to be present in Parliament – and if he enters Spain again, he will be arrested.
Puigdemont fled for Belgium after the referendum and, once a European arrest warrant against him was dropped, set up home there in a rented house in Waterloo, knowing he was safe from jail anywhere in the world except in Spain.
After giving a conference at Helsinki University, he was arrested driving home to Belgium when Spain's Supreme Court revived the arrest warrant.
Granted bail by the court in Germany, where his arrest took place, he is not allowed to leave the country until an extradition hearing is held.
Now, Catalunya Parliamentary spokesman Roger Torrent has convened the first round of voting for Quim Torra's investiture as regional president, and he will be sworn in if he achieves an outright majority of votes in favour.
This appears likely at the moment, since the pro-independence parties, collectively, hold a majority in Catalunya Parliament, but if it fails, a second round of votes will be held on Monday.
Here, a simple majority is all that is necessary – more 'yes' than 'no' votes – meaning that even if the pro-independence party CUP abstains as it has announced it will, the total of 66 members between JxCat and the Catalunya Left Republicans (ERC) combined will still be enough to overpower the 65 members of Ciudadanos, the socialists and the PP, who are all guaranteed to vote 'no'.
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ANOTHER attempt at swearing in a regional president for Catalunya is due to start at noon tomorrow (Saturday).
After meeting with his party colleagues in Berlin, deposed president Carles Puigdemont – who is on bail in Germany and unable to leave the country – proposed a new name to take over as leader.
Quim Torra (pictured), on Puigdemont's party Junts per Catalunya ('Together for Catalunya', or JxCat) has no pending court action or arrest hanging over him in connection with the disputed independence referendum on October 1.
Puigdemont had initially put forward Jordi Sànchez, his number two and leader of the Catalunya National Assembly, but Sànchez remains in prison awaiting trial for organising a protest which attempted to stop the Guardia Civil from entering the regional Parliament building to seize ballot papers ahead of the referendum.
And Puigdemont himself cannot be sworn in as president, because this would involve his having to be present in Parliament – and if he enters Spain again, he will be arrested.
Puigdemont fled for Belgium after the referendum and, once a European arrest warrant against him was dropped, set up home there in a rented house in Waterloo, knowing he was safe from jail anywhere in the world except in Spain.
After giving a conference at Helsinki University, he was arrested driving home to Belgium when Spain's Supreme Court revived the arrest warrant.
Granted bail by the court in Germany, where his arrest took place, he is not allowed to leave the country until an extradition hearing is held.
Now, Catalunya Parliamentary spokesman Roger Torrent has convened the first round of voting for Quim Torra's investiture as regional president, and he will be sworn in if he achieves an outright majority of votes in favour.
This appears likely at the moment, since the pro-independence parties, collectively, hold a majority in Catalunya Parliament, but if it fails, a second round of votes will be held on Monday.
Here, a simple majority is all that is necessary – more 'yes' than 'no' votes – meaning that even if the pro-independence party CUP abstains as it has announced it will, the total of 66 members between JxCat and the Catalunya Left Republicans (ERC) combined will still be enough to overpower the 65 members of Ciudadanos, the socialists and the PP, who are all guaranteed to vote 'no'.
Related Topics
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