Carles Puigdemont promises loyalty to the people of Catalonia and not to the King or to the Spanish constitution

Carles Puigdemont has been sworn in as president of the Generalitat of Catalonia vowing  loyalty to the people of Catalonia. It is a historical novelty in the swearing in of a president, which did not refer to either the king or the Spanish constitution. The president of the Catalan Parliament, Carme Forcadell, read: ‘Do you promise to faithfully fulfill the obligations of the position of president of the Catalan Government faithfully to the will of the people of Catalonia represented by their parliament?’

In the speech made after, Puigdemont made reference to the same notion, and stressed  that he has promised loyalty to the people of Catalonia. ‘Taking on the position I assume great responsibility and honor. I am indebted especially to those who have preceded me especially President Mas. We are not tired. And today, with all of the serenity of this moment, we are hopeful’, he said.

He quoted some verses by the Turkish poet Nassim Hikmet: “The most beautiful sea / is that which we have not sailed. ‘He added:’ We will put the institutions to work in this direction, to serve primarily the hopes of the people, which are the best hope for living and working, guarantee basic rights,  basic services and commitment to international solidarity. This will not be possible if we do not have the necessary tools. We can not look people in the eyes and say these things if we do not change the tools that we have.’

Puigdemont, in front of Spanish government authorities such as the acting Minister of Interior, Jorge Fernández Díaz, and the delegate to Catalonia, María de los Llanos de Luna, said: “We are humiliated financially, neglected by state institutions, disregarded in the recognition of our identity and our language. ‘

And he has pledged to achieve the goal of attaining independence doing the job well done. ‘We can not do this in any which way. I will not allow it. We will do it very well. I promise to work to calm down the atmosphere and explain; we need to tell more people and involve more people. ‘

Spain’s King refuses to receive Parliament’s President

On monday, Parliament’s President, Carme Forcadell, requested an audience with Spain’s King to personally communicate the investiture of Carles Puigdemont as the new Catalan President. However, the Royal Household refused to receive her and asked Forcadell to do so in writing. Traditionally, the presidents of the Catalan, Basque and Galician Parliaments travel to Madrid to communicate to the monarch the decision of their respective chambers and thus this historic procedure hasn’t been followed. According to Philip VI’s secretary’s letter, the Parliament should communicate the investiture “complying with the procedures established by the Spanish Constitution and the Catalan Statute of Autonomy”. The Parliament has confirmed that the official communication has been made by email, as the Royal Household requested.