The 131st president of Catalonia, Quim Torra, has taken the oath of office this morning in a ceremony with almost no guests and without most of the normal protocol as a gesture of protest towards the repression Catalonia is suffering. After negotiations until the last moment, the Moncloa government palace in Madrid announced there would be no representative of Mariano Rajoy's government present. It was the first time since the first elected Catalan government after Franco's dictatorship that Spain wasn't represented by anyone. The ceremony, in front of only the Catalan flag, the senyera, lasted little more than two minutes.
Besides Torra's closest family, in attendance were the Parliament's speaker, Roger Torrent, and the secretary of Government, Víctor Cullell, who read the nomination decree.
Then, Torra took the oath of office, the same that Carles Puigdemont used in January 2016: "I promise to loyally fulfil the duties of the role of president of Catalonia and stay faithful to the wishes of the people of Catalonia represented by the Parliament of Catalonia".
Torra was not presented with the traditional medallion of office, sitting on a desk in front of him, as a gesture of the exceptional conditions of his presidency.
Sources close to the president emphasised that the idea behind organising such a ceremony was due to the "state of repression" Catalonia is suffering.
Only at the last moment was it confirmed that the ceremony would be held at 11:30am in the Mare de Déu de Montserrat room in the government palace, the room before the entrance to the president's office which, on other occasions, has been used for ministers to be sworn in.
The presidency department argued that the event "falls within strict Catalan law". On the other hand, the Spanish executive which, according to some sources, demanded the presence of deputy prime minister Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, said that the format "degrades the dignity of the institution itself".
Torra left the government palace's Arxiu de Comtes room, accompanied by Roger Torrent and the government secretary, heading through the Gothic gallery to the room where the handful of guests for the ceremony were already waiting: his wife, Carola Miró, his mother and his siblings. On the table, the medallion of office. Cullell read the nomination signed by King Felipe VI and prime minister Mariano Rajoy Brey. The ceremony lasted little more than two minutes.
Meanwhile, a few dozen people gathered outside in plaça Sant Jaume. Normally, the square would be packed, waiting for the new president to appear. This time, however, that wasn't going to happen.
Banners in support of the political prisoners and Catalan republic outside the government palace / Sergi Alcàzar
Pro-independence estelada "starred" flag in plaça de Sant Jaume / Sergi Alcàzar