Process enters decisive phase

Carles Puigdemont was invested yesterday at 21:47 pm as the 130th president of the Generalitat of Catalonia. He is the ninth of the contemporary era, including the presidents in exile during the Franco dictatorship. After three months of complicated negotiations leading up to the deadline established by law, he received 70 votes in the first round: 62 from the coalition Junts pel Sí (JxSí) and 8 from the CUP (the other 2 MPs from the anti-capitalist group abstained). Puigdemont, who today will renounce the mayoralty of Girona, assumed the position, taking on the winning mandate coming out of the 27-S elections, with the goal of making this legislature a period of "post-autonomy and pre-independence". He did so as an act of democratic normality and responsibility, taking on, as well, the complexity of the challenge. Puigdemont is also conscious of the plurality of the nation and of the need to broaden the social base in favor of an independent country. He did so, as well, with a platform of a markedly social nature, the result of agreements between JxSí and the CUP and very similar to that defended last November 9th by Artur Mas, whom he thanked for stepping aside and who he will rely on in the difficult moments to come. Indeed, it is good to rely on everyone, especially former president Mas, and to govern for everyone, while thinking especially of those who have suffered most from the crisis. Puigdemont also apologized to the people for the way in which his investiture was arrived at, and thanked all those who had made it possible.

Puigdemont found himself confronted with the full opposition of the rest of the groups, which yesterday unanimously reproached his silence on the plague of corruption-- a weak point in his inaugural speech-- and which also, styles and ideology aside, set forth the challenge for the coming months of a constitutional process on the margins of democratic legality. The historic legislature that begins now will revolve, in essence, around the democratic legitimacy of initiating an independence process based in Catalan legality and will put to the test the abilities of the President, government, Parliament, and citizens to maintain social cohesion while moving forward with the process -- which is now entering a decisive phase -- with rigor, civility, and serenity.