Artur Mas loses her first battle for a new mandate in Catalonia

USPA NEWS - No surprises: the first vote on the investiture of Artur Mas for another term as president of the regional Government of Catalonia ended with all the Parliament rejecting the candidate, unless their own party coalition -the coalition Junts pel Si-, and a score of 62 votes for and 73 against.

Artur Mas was needed for an absolute majority to be elected on the first ballot and, as expected, failed. Even the anti-system CUP party, which accompanying the independence project, voted against because it believes that Mas is not the best candidate to carry out the Catalan secession because is linked to cases of corruption in the regional Government of Catalonia and their responsibility for social cuts. The CUP Tuesday proposed the number one of Junts pel Si, Raul Romeva, but it is self-excluded and closed ranks around Artur Mas.

The still president of the regional Government of Catalonia will be submitted to a new vote on Thursday, when a simple majority is sufficient for election. For this he need two deputies CUP refrain, but it is not certain that they will do. If either is elected on Thursday, next week a new sitting of Parliament to be held in Catalonia and then could present a different candidate for president of the regional Government.

In the fierce debate on Tuesday, the spokesman for the centrist Citizens - the first opposition party in the Parliament of Catalonia -, Ines Arrimadas, reminded Artur Mas has no social majority necessary to pursue independence. "You do not have a social majority, do not even have parliamentary majority to change in the Statute [of Autonomy]. But above all, no reason," said to the presidential candidate. Meanwhile, the conservative Popular Party spokesman, Xavier Garcia Albiol, referred to as published in the press to remember when Artur Mas said: "We have to fool the State" of Spain.

The prosecution is launched

Meanwhile, the Office of the High Court on Tuesday ordered the Catalan Police, the National Police and the Civil Guard to report any commission of crimes related to the independence process. The order excludes members of the Government and the Parliament of Catalonia that they can only be processed by the Supreme Court. According to union officials, order the prosecution of crime threatening thousands of workers the Government and the Parliament of Catalonia, because if handled any documents relating to the secession would prevaricate and could be arrested and prosecuted.

The situation is worse for those workers from Thursday. The Spanish Government approved Wednesday an appeal of unconstitutionality against the secessionist resolution passed by the regional Parliament of Catalonia and submit it to the Constitutional Court the same day. According to legal experts, the High Court allowed him to process with absolute safety and, since then, the resolution will be suspended. Catalan officials would have to disobey the orders of secessionist politicians who announced they will not abide by the decisions of the Constitutional Court.

Before the Government meeting, Spanish President Mariano Rajoy met Tuesday with Secretary General of the Socialist Party, Pedro Sanchez, and King Philip VI. The monarch has cleared his schedule to monitor the Catalan conflict. For its part, the Socialist leader again expressed its full support for the actions of the Spanish Government against the independence movement.