For some time now, the investitures in the Parliament of Catalonia have been a delicate moment that puts tension for some hours in the areas surrounding the Parc de la Ciutadella. On this occasion, the reasons for the tension are multiplied. To the August 8 investiture that will place Salvador Illa (PSC) as President of the Generalitat supported by the pro-independence votes of ERC must be added the already confirmed return of Carles Puigdemont.
Therefore, the Mossos d’Esquadra have announced an unprecedented security device to shield the access to the Parliament of Catalonia on the morning of August 8.
what time does the plenary session start and when does it end?
The investiture session of Salvador Illa will begin at 10 a.m. in the plenary session of the Parliament of Catalonia. The PSC candidate will present, without time limit, the Program of government and will request the confidence of the Plenary. After his speech, the President of the Parliament will suspend the session for an undetermined period of time, no longer than 24 hours, so that the groups can prepare their responses.
Once the plenary session returns, either on the same day or on Friday, each group will be represented by a representative for 30 minutes each . Normally, this process is solved within the same day or, at most, within two days.
Mobility impairments
As usual, the Mossos d’Esquadra will completely close the Parc de la Ciutadella, where the Parliament is located, and will establish strict controls at the entrances to ensure the security of the parliamentary session. In addition, officers from various units, including riot control, the canine unit and the underground unit, will be deployed in the area.
Mobility and traffic inside the park will be prohibited until the end of the investiture debate (around noon on Thursday), but, in principle, no traffic restrictions are expected in the streets surrounding the Parc de la Ciutadella.
In the surroundings of the Parliament, several fences can already be seen today, ready to be distributed and to perimeter the accesses, anticipating a day of political and social tension
Pro-independence demonstrations… and pro-Spanish demonstrations
The tension around the Parliament has increased due to the call for a demonstration by Vox at 09:30 h. in the vicinity of the Parliament to protest against the return of Carles Puigdemont after seven years of exile.
On the other hand, rallies have also been called by pro-independence organizations(mainly the Assemblea Nacional Catalana (ANC) and the Comitès de Defensa de la República (CDR), which will demonstrate against ERC’s support for the investiture of Salvador Illa.
It should be recalled that, in January 2018, at the failed investiture of Carles Puigdemont in January 2018, a group of pro-independence supporters overflowed the police cordon to protest against the decision not to hold the plenary due to the absence of the leader of Junts, who was already abroad. The five people convicted of these riots were among the first to benefit from the recently approved amnesty law.