MADRID: The leader of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's ruling Socialist party in Catalonia will likely face a vote in the region's parliament on Thursday to become its new leader, the head of the assembly said on Tuesday.
Catalan regional president Josep Rull proposed the date for the vote to invest Salvador Illa as Catalonia's new leader.
The move came after consultations with representatives of parties that won parliamentary seats in an inconclusive May election in the wealthy northeastern region of Spain.
"After listening to the various parliamentary groups and weighing up the various proposals, I will propose... to convene the investiture plenary session on Thursday at 10:00 am," he told reporters.
The Socialists won the most seats in the regional election but fell short of a majority, capturing just 42 seats in the 135-seat regional assembly.
Illa has since secured the support of the six lawmakers of the far-left party that is part of the Sumar alliance as well the 20 belonging to leftist separatist party ERC.
But the investiture vote could be upended by the return of Catalonia's exiled former separatist leader Carles Puigdemont, who has vowed to attend even though he could be arrested.
Puigdemont, the leader of the more hardline Catalan separatist party JxCAT, headed Catalonia regional government during a botched 2017 independence push.
He fled abroad shortly after to avoid prosecution but is still wanted by Spain's justice system. Spain's Supreme Court ruled on July 1 that an amnesty law for Catalan separatists that came into force earlier this year would not fully apply to him.
Puigdemont reiterated that he planned to return to Spain for the investiture vote even though this "may entail arrest and imprisonment".
JxCAT Secretary-General Jordi Turull said on Tuesday that he would demand the investiture vote be suspended if Puigdemont is detained, while ERC spokeswoman Raquel Sans said it could delay the vote. If parties fail to agree on a new head of Catalonia's regional government by August 26, fresh elections will be called in the region in October. — AFP
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