The speaker of the Catalan Parliament, Roger Torrent, this morning announced that he is postponing the investiture debate for president Carles Puigdemont planned for this afternoon with the aim of making an "effective" debate "with guarantees" possible and to give time for the Constitutional Court to give a verdict on the arguments filed by JuntsxCat. Torrent, however, has said that he isn't cancelling the debate and will not propose any other candidate for investiture, other than Puigdemont. "He has all the legitimacy to be a candidate and has all the right", he said.
Torrent's announcement came five hours before the 3pm set start time for the debate. Neither Junts per Catalunya nor the other members of the Parliament's presiding Board had been informed of the decision in advance. The speaker's office announced the statement 15 minutes before it was made.
"In response to the request from president Puigdemont to guarantee his right to an investiture debate with guarantees, and to give time for the appeal presented by the president himself, the parliamentary session scheduled for today is postponed, but in no sense is it cancelled. The session for the investiture of the candidate Carles Puigdemont remains convoked and will be held once an effective investiture debate without interference can be guaranteed", he said before promising to achieve the most favourable scenario to guarantee this.
Torrent spoke shortly after 10am, a few minutes after the announced time. He didn't accept any questions.
"Neither the Spanish vice president nor the Constitutional Court will decide who should be the president of Catalonia. It is up to the democratically elected deputies to do so", he warned, as well as repeatedly insisting he won't accept interference in the process.
The speaker noted that Puigdemont has sent him a letter asking for protection. "President Puigdemont knows that defending the rights of the deputies is not only the duty of my role, but what motivates me in exercising my responsibility."
For this reason, he said that he's committed to protecting Puigdemont's immunity, for which he's asked the chamber's legal services to formulate a response to the Constitutional Court's verdict.
Torrent said that the Spanish state has shown "one of its darkest sides" with the decision to ignore the Council of State, "committing a legal fraud with a preventive challenge with no legal basis", leading to the Constitutional Court meeting urgently to set conditions on Puigdemont's investiture which "no one had asked for". "A compromise decision in order to not discredit the Spanish government's legal fraud."
"I know what my responsibility is and what my commitment is. I will go all the way to defend the rights of president Puigdemont to offer himself to the investiture debate with full guarantees", he said before ending by warning Spain that the people and Parliament of Catalonia deserve respect.
Full statement, translated from version posted on Twitter by @rogertorrent
I come before you after several days in which the Spanish state has shown one of its darkest sides with the decision by the Spanish government to commit a legal fraud and the decision of a Constitutional Court to urgently set conditions on the investiture of Carles Puigdemont that no one had asked for.
The Constitutional Court without any prior request is instructing the Board of the Catalan Parliament how it has to interpret its own regulations. An ad hoc political decision made by the entity that should be the constitutional arbitrator. A compromise decision in order to not discredit the Spanish government's legal fraud.
The Spanish government and the Constitutional Court are trying to infringe the rights of millions of Catalans who went to vote on 21st December. And we will not allow that.
We will not accept it being said that Catalans voted badly, for voting for who they wanted. We will not accept interference with a democratic Parliament which has the right and duty to invest the president who has the most support.
Neither the Spanish vice president nor the Constitutional Court will decide who should be the president of Catalonia. It is up to the democratically elected deputies to do so.
Proposing president Puigdemont as the candidate to be invested as [new] president of Catalonia has been the result of the will expressed by a majority of this chamber. And as long as this will is maintained, I will not propose any other candidate for investiture.
President Carles Puigdemont has all the legitimacy to be a candidate and has all the right. To defend this right I have personally committed myself to guarantee his immunity, along with that of all the deputies, in exercising their political rights in Parliament.
In this regard, I have asked the chamber's legal counsel to present an appeal from this Parliament to the Constitutional Court's resolution.
In response to the request from president Puigdemont to guarantee his right to an investiture debate with guarantees, and to give time for the appeal presented by the president himself, the parliamentary session scheduled for today is postponed, but in no sense is it cancelled.
The session for the investiture of the candidate Carles Puigdemont remains convoked and will be held once an effective investiture debate without interference can be guaranteed. An investiture with real value and that will take effect.
I am committed to generating the most favourable scenario to ensure that the will of people expressed in the elections becomes reality. I urge the Constitutional Court to resolve the appeals as quickly as possible to undo the legal confusion it has created.
I know what my responsibility is and what my commitment is. I have the duty to protect the sovereignty of this Parliament from antidemocratic interference and attacks. I will not give an inch in the defence of the democratic rights of the deputies of parliament, despite the threats.
I will go all the way to defend the rights of president Puigdemont to offer himself to the investiture debate with full guarantees.
All my energies will go to defending the institution, defending the deputies, defending the voters, defending, indeed, the essence of democracy. Because democracy cannot be suspended.
The majority will of the Catalan people cannot be suspended. This Parliament will invest the candidate who has the majority support of the chamber, not one who is decided in an office 600 kilometres away.
This Parliament, democratically voted, chosen by the public, politically represents the people of Catalonia. And that deserves respect. The people of Catalonia deserve respect.