The Catalan parliament today elected the autonomous candidate for president of Catalonia, nominated by exiled Carles Puigdemon, Kim Tora, who pledged to continue "building an independent state" in Spain.
"We will create the Republic of Catalonia," said the 55-year-old publisher, who was elected with just 66 votes to 65, while four members of the far-left CUP party, which is in favor of autonomy, abstained.
"We will be loyal to the October 1 referendum order for self-determination: we will build an independent state, a democracy," he had promised before the vote.
On October 1, 2017, more than two million Catalans (out of a total of 5,5 million voters) took part in the Madrid-banned referendum, which police tried to block. According to the organizers, 90% were in favor of independence.
Kim Tora will now have to form a government, which will automatically lead to the lifting of the commission imposed by Madrid on this area of 7,5 million inhabitants when the separatist MPs declared their independence on October 27, 2017. Tora promised from the first debate in parliament on Saturday to facilitate the return to power as soon as possible of Carles Puigdemon, the "legitimate president".
Carles Puigdemon, who left Spain before being indicted for insurgency, is on parole in Germany, where a court is expected to decide whether to extradite him or not.
Kim Tora has pledged to restore the Catalan laws suspended or annulled by justice, reopen the "embassies" of Catalonia that the state has closed, and begin the process of drafting the constitution of the future Catalan democracy.
He has referred to the creation of parallel government structures abroad to prepare for secession: a "Council of the Republic" chaired by Carles Putzdemon and an assembly of local elected officials.
Opposition leader Ines Arimada launched a fierce attack on "Tora's xenophobic rhetoric and rhetorical identity," which she described as "Puigdemon's puppet."
He denounced Tora's anti-Spanish writings, which he described as "vultures, vultures and hyenas" for those who do not defend the culture and language of Catalonia.
Mariano Rajoy's conservative government has warned that it could retake control of the region at any time if Tora violates the Constitution.
In an interview with the Italian newspaper La Stampa on Saturday, Puigdemon stressed that his successor "takes power under temporary conditions and knows it. He will be able to call new elections from October 27. "
The first trial of 25 separatist leaders prosecuted for insurgency and other crimes could begin in October, a good time to mobilize Catalan separatists against "repression" in an election campaign, Spanish commentators say.
Nine of the leaders have been remanded in custody and seven others, including Carles Puigdemon, have fled abroad.
Most of them belong to the two major political formations that are in favor of autonomy - the conservative PDECAT and the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) - which advocate a more moderate policy.
But backed by his success in the December election, where his "Together for Catalonia" ballot collected the most votes, Puigdemon managed to impose his candidacy, urging him to continue the confrontation with Madrid.