BARCELONA, Spain – Spain’s Catalonia region, which is at odds with Madrid over plans to break away from the country, is heading for a fresh confrontation after its new president took his oath of office Tuesday without pledging allegiance to the king or constitution.
Carles Puigdemont, president of the Generalitat or Catalan government, promised fidelity only to “the will of the people of Catalonia represented by the Parliament,” making history by becoming the first official in Spain to refuse the traditional oath.
His decision is seen as a political reply to the refusal of Spain’s King Felipe VI to receive the president of the Catalan Parliament, Carme Forcadell. It also expresses his gratitude to the outgoing president, Artur Mas. Both Forcadell and Mas have been on the forefront of calls to take Catalonia toward independence.
In a speech after the oath, Puigdemont said that the state “humiliates, suffocates financially, disregards and belittles” Catalan institutions.
The new Catalan government set secession from Spain as its main task, after the coalition group to which Puigdemont belongs won elections last September. One of the parties in the coalition was opposed to Mas becoming president, finally forcing him to step down last weekend in favor of Puigdemont, also a member of his own party.
The Catalonia issue takes place against the backdrop of Spanish parties maneuvering to form a coalition government, after general elections last December did not grant a majority to any one party.
Catalonia, a region of 7.5 million people, has a distinctive language and culture from the rest of Spain and historically has sought self-determination.
