Catalonia Parliament Elects a Hardline Separatist as Head of Local Government

On Monday, May 13, the Catalonia Parliament elected a hardline separatist as the head of the local government of this region. This marks the end of seven months of direct rule by the Spanish central government over the area, but it will also exacerbate political uncertainties in the region, where part of the population and its parties support separation from Spain. With the election of Kim Torra as the head of the local government, this institution can resume its functions. In October 2017, the Spanish central government dissolved this institution after the local government of Catalonia declared symbolic independence and took direct control of the region's main affairs. The decision made by the Catalonia Parliament on Monday will also enable Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to finally approve the long-delayed central government budget plan by garnering support from local parties. However, it is unlikely to reduce tensions between the central government and Catalonia. The Catalonia Parliament, which is divided between separatists and supporters of unity with Spain, approved Kim Torra's candidacy with 66 votes in favor, 65 against, and four abstentions. After failing to secure a decisive majority in Saturday's voting, a relative majority or half plus one was sufficient for his appointment. Following this vote, separatist representatives in the parliament stood up and sang the Catalonia national anthem. Kim Torra, who was chosen by former Catalonia government head Carles Puigdemont, embraced the representatives who gathered around him to congratulate him. Many of them wore yellow ribbons on their chests, symbolizing solidarity with those politicians and officials who have been prosecuted and imprisoned for holding an illegal independence referendum in October. In his remarks at the parliamentary session, Kim Torra pledged to work towards establishing a Catalonia republic and stated that Carles Puigdemont, who is currently awaiting a court ruling in Germany regarding extradition to Spain, is the legitimate leader of Catalonia. The Spanish government described his remarks as 'provocative,' and Andrea Levy, a member of the People's Party (the ruling party in Spain), stated in a television interview on Monday that if the new local government exceeds its legal powers, the central government will once again take direct control of local affairs in Catalonia. Since October of last year, more than three thousand companies and financial institutions have moved their headquarters to other parts of Spain due to concerns about an economic crisis in the Catalonia region, and the tourism industry in the area has also weakened. However, throughout 2017, the number of tourists visiting Catalonia increased, and the region's economic growth rate has been higher than the average growth rate of other regions in Spain. Police had halted traffic in parts of the square and park surrounding the Catalonia Parliament building, but the streets of the city were generally calm, and no protests took place. According to a law that granted the Spanish central government the authority to directly manage affairs in Catalonia, the intervention of the central government effectively ends with the election of a new head of the local government and the appointment of all cabinet members. In the early parliamentary elections in Catalonia, called by the central government in December, pro-independence parties won, but the Ciudadanos party, which supports unity, received the most votes.