Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy calls for Catalonia Parliament to be formed on January 17
He made the announcement just over a week after secessionist parties won most of the seats in Catalonia’s regional parliamentary elections.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Friday called for the Parliament of Catalonia to be constituted on January 17. He made the announcement just over a week after separatist parties won most of the seats again in Catalonia’s regional parliamentary elections.
This is the first step towards reinstating a Catalan regional government, which Madrid took over in October for declaring independence from Spain.
Les anuncio que convocaré para el 17 de enero la sesión constitutiva del nuevo Parlamento de Cataluña elegido en las elecciones autonómicas del #21D. pic.twitter.com/0n7D3oocCT
— Mariano Rajoy Brey (@marianorajoy) December 29, 2017
After forming the Parliament, lawmakers must elect a candidate to lead the regional government. That candidate will then face a vote of confidence, Reuters reported. The secessionist parties may struggle to form a government as eight of their 70 elected deputies are either in Spain or have fled the country.
In his traditional speech on Christmas Eve, Spain’s King Felipe VI urged the people of Catalonia to choose coexistence over confrontation and asked the region’s leaders to act and think responsibly and respect plurality.