Il "Parlament de Catalunya" is back in the hands of the separatists. A little less than three months after the declaration of independence and the application of article 155 which led to the dissolution of the assembly and the dismissal of the Catalan government, the inauguration was held today the new legislature born after elections on December 21st. First act: the election of the new president.
The secessionist deputy Roger Torrent will lead the Barcelona Parliament, belonging to the left-wing Erc party, which obtained 65 votes in favor against the 56 of the unionist candidate of Ciudadanos José Maria Espejo.
The separatists also managed to gain control of the presidency of the Chamber, electing 4 representatives out of seven.
After the "threats" of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, the outgoing Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and the other four pro-independence leaders in exile in Brussels they gave up asking for the delegated vote, while in the end they turned a blind eye to the three pro-independence activists still in prison: Oriol Junqueras, Joaquim Forn and Jordi Sanchez were therefore able to express their preference.
At this point a new phase is opening for Catalonia which will probably be characterized by such a high number of unknowns as to make any type of hypothesis about its future difficult. Once again, the independentists are leading the Region, with the same parties and often even the same names.
Which path they will decide to take at the moment is not known, but the probability of new clashes between Madrid and Barcelona remains very high. Also because now it will be up to the secessionist Torrent to indicate the name of the candidate for the presidency of the Generalitat (the Government of Catalonia) in view of the investiture on January 31st.
Another fundamental role will be exercised by the Bureau which will have to interpret the regulation of the Assembly and express its opinion on the candidacy presented by the ousted president Carles Puigdemont. The latter has every intention of returning to the leadership of the Generalitat, taking back the seat which he considers by right to be his. The problem is, however, that the moment he sets foot back in Spain, he will risk being immediately arrested for rebellion, sedition and embezzlement.
In recent days, Premier Rajoy has intervened directly on the matter, stating that, in the event that Parliament decides to elect Puigdemont remotely, Madrid will retain the commissioner of Catalonia triggered in November, thus depriving the new legislature of any power.
What will the separatists do at this point? There are two options: persevere on the choice of Puigdemont and open a new war with the national government or opt for an alternative name, always belonging to the independence front, trying for the moment to maintain a "low profile". The decision, as previously mentioned, will have to be made by January 31st.
In the meantime, tension between Madrid and Barcelona remains high.
