Pere Aragonès: ‘We will advance towards the Catalan Republic’

Pere Aragonès has begun presenting his bid for president in the Parliament of Catalonia on Thursday afternoon for a second time. Unlike the failed vote in the bid from 26 to 30 March, this time the current interim president is very likely to succeed, since his party sealed a coalition deal with the other main pro-independence force earlier this week. Esquerra also has a deal with the anticapitalist CUP party, which will also contribute to see him become the 132^nd Catalan president in the first round of vote on Friday evening.

A swearing-in ceremony is expected in the coming days, before the new ministers are appointed and the new executive is finally up and running after over 230 days of an interim cabinet.

Pere Aragonès spoke in markedly left-leaning terms during his initial speech. Yet, he did not forget the fact that 52% of voters cast their ballot for pro-independence parties. “With one hand we will defeat Covid, with the other we will advance towards the Catalan Republic” he said in his 30-minute speech, which was shorter than usual.