Although Illa fell short of a governing majority, last week he secured the support of the Republican Left of Catalonia, a pro-independence party that was once allied with Puigdemont but which broke ties with him due to his constant attacks on their leaders. In exchange for Republican Left votes, Illa has promised to attempt to revise the region’s fiscal relationship with the rest of Spain — a longstanding demand of the separatist movement.
Puigdemont published a letter this past weekend vowing to be present in the Catalan parliament’s hemicycle when the new Illa administration is sworn in this Thursday — presumably in the hope of shaming his former separatist allies into breaking their agreement with the Socialists.
The politician accused the Republican Left of selling out the separatist movement, blasting the party for backing a government that “has no real negotiating capacity to resolve a historical conflict.”
A disruptive force
Puigdemont and his team appear convinced that if the politician makes it to the hemicycle, Spanish authorities will be unable to arrest him because the Catalan parliament’s regulations prohibit the detention of its lawmakers. But legal experts widely agree that an arrest warrant trumps the body’s rules, and that the police will not be impeded from taking him into custody.
If the arrest takes place, Puigdemont may achieve his goal of stopping Illa from taking office — at least temporarily. The Catalan parliament’s president, Josep Rull, belongs to the Junts party and is expected to suspend the session if the detention takes place.
It’s nearly certain that lawmakers would convene again within days, because if a new president is not chosen before August 26, new elections will have to be held. The Republican Left has already said that their agreement to back the Socialist is binding, no matter what happens.
Leave a Comment