Catalonia’s New Leader Vows to Continue Secessionist Drive
By RAPHAEL MINDER

MADRID — The new leader of the regional government of Catalonia told lawmakers on Sunday that he would carry out a plan to separate the region from the rest of Spain.

Hours before being formally confirmed as leader, Carles Puigdemont told the regional Parliament, “I am fully aware that we are starting a process that is far from easy and far from comfortable, but we will put into it value and courage.” He added: “This isn’t a time for cowards, nor for rashness, nor for renunciations.”

Mr. Puigdemont is unexpectedly taking center stage after an 11th-hour agreement between Catalan separatist parties on Saturday to replace Artur Mas as the region’s leader. The agreement was confirmed in a parliamentary vote later on Sunday, ending over three months of feuding among the parties.

“A few hours ago, I was mayor of Girona and I had not thought that I could be here today in the situation in which I find myself,” Mr. Puigdemont said. “Sometimes one has to take on responsibilities that weren’t those one imagined.”

Mr. Mas stepped aside after failing to persuade the far-left party Popular Unity Candidacy — known by its Catalan acronym, CUP — to allow him to stay in office after regional elections on Sept. 27. A separatist coalition won the elections but without enough parliamentary seats to form a new government without the support of CUP lawmakers.

The CUP, however, insisted that it would not agree to another Catalan government led by Mr. Mas, whom it faults for imposing austerity cuts, as well as for failing to acknowledge corruption within his party, Convergence. Mr. Mas would have been forced to call new elections if no government deal had been struck by Sunday.

Despite their leadership disagreements, the separatist parties had already approved a resolution in November that calls for Catalonia to become an independent republic, a goal that separatists aim to achieve within 18 months. Most controversially, the resolution included a defiant claim that Catalan’s march toward nationhood need not be subject to approval by the national government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and other Spanish institutions, even the Constitutional Court.

Mr. Mas converted himself into the leader of the Catalan secessionist drive in 2012 after a fallout with Mr. Rajoy over whether Catalonia should be granted more tax benefits, as part of a Spanish fiscal system that redistributes tax income from richer regions like Catalonia to poorer ones.

Even if the territorial dispute had appeared to have turned into a personal fight between Mr. Rajoy and Mr. Mas, who are both conservative politicians, the removal of Mr. Mas is unlikely to help resolve what has become the biggest political headache for the government in Madrid.

In fact, while Catalonia is now putting an end to months of government deadlock, the deal there comes as Spanish politics enters a period of major uncertainty over who will lead the next government. Mr. Rajoy faces a struggle of his own to stay in office, after inconclusive national elections in December in which his Popular Party won the most votes but lost its parliamentary majority. Spain’s new Parliament is set to convene on Wednesday.

Mr. Puigdemont, 53, made no reference in his speech on Sunday to the turmoil in national politics. He is a former journalist who became mayor of Girona in 2011 and has also been at the helm of an association of Catalan municipal leaders who favor independence.

Mr. Rajoy responded on Sunday evening by issuing a warning to the new Catalan government, saying that his administration will not allow “any action that would contravene the unity and sovereignty and that goes against the law and the decisions of the courts.” He added during a news conference that “we have more instruments than ever to defend our unity.”

Mr. Mas said he had made a painful decision but insisted that he would remain in politics, even if no longer in a government leadership role. In his parliamentary speech on Sunday, Mr. Puigdemont thanked Mr. Mas for leading Catalonia toward independence and for making the “exemplary” decision to step aside in order to break the government deadlock. He also asked citizens for forgiveness for the three months of haggling over the future role of Mr. Mas.

Still, Catalan parties that oppose secession and the appointment of Mr. Puigdemont criticized the leadership agreement. In Sunday’s parliamentary vote, Mr. Puigdemont was elected by 70 votes against 63, with two abstentions.

Inés Arrimadas, a leading lawmaker from the Citizens party, described the deal among separatist parties as “a democratic fraud.” She also told lawmakers on Sunday that Mr. Puigdemont was not “a person sufficiently moderate and respectful to represent all Catalans.”

加泰隆尼亞準主席 著手脫西

內定領導加泰隆尼亞地區（Catalonia）為獨立走向的吉隆納（Girona）市長普伊格蒙特（Carles Puigdemont ），10日對加泰隆尼亞自治區議會發表談話，呼籲展開分離出走的進程。

普伊格蒙特說：「我們需要展開在加泰隆尼亞地區建立獨立國家的進程。」加泰隆尼亞分離分子內鬥數月後終於達成協議，10 日將投票任命新的自治區主席。為分離派政府明年之前，宣布脫離西班牙獨立鋪路。

加泰隆尼亞獨派勢力去年9月贏得地方議會大選，但對由誰領導新的自治區政府相持不下，使得備受矚目的分離運動命運懸而未決。

自治政府主席馬斯（Artur Mas）是問題所在，贏得選舉的分離勢力之一極左派人民團結候選人黨（CUP ）拒絕接受馬斯支持撙節的立場，以及他涉及貪污醜聞的政黨。

馬斯在最後一刻出人意表地同意下台，任命相對不知名、曾任記者的53歲吉隆納市長普伊格蒙特為繼任者，解除僵局。

原文參照：
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/11/world/europe/catalan-separatists-carles-puigdemont.html

Video：Spain’s Rajoy Vows to Block Secession
http://www.nytimes.com/video/world/europe/100000004136823/spains-rajoy-vows-to-block-secession.html

2016-01-12 世界日報 編譯中心