There was no more time. January 9 was the deadline for making a decision and, after using all the time he had available, Artur Mas has made his choice. A step back for the good of Catalonia.
There will be no elections in March. The president renounced his office, giving it up to the Cup (Candidatura d'Unitat Popular) which had asked for his head in exchange for the support of the pro-independence parliamentary majority resulting from the electoral round of 27 September.
Mas will take over at the helm of the country's most important Autonomous Community Carles Puigdemont, current mayor of Girona and president of the Municipal Association for Independence, under the Convergència democràtica de Catalunya, the same party to which the now former number one of the Generalitat belongs. His task will be to relaunch the independence process which should lead to separation from the central government within the next eighteen months.
After months of political deadlock, Catalonia has a new president. It was precisely who paid the highest price for stability Artur Mas, who until the end tried to resist the blows of the Cup. Two deputies from the radical left party will therefore join the Junts pel Sì group (the pro-independence coalition led by the current president of the Generalitat) in order to prevent the new majority from being shot from within. Some of the remaining eight will instead be replaced by less extremist leaders.
"It is a painful decision, but I am calm and convinced that I have done the right thing for the good of Catalonia", said the outgoing president, declaring his willingness to make himself available "in whatever may be useful, without reservations and without asking for anything in return”. While the clouds continue to gather over the central government, Catalonia is saved in extremis.
