Torra calls on mayors to make Republic “effective”

The Catalan Association of Municipalities yesterday held its final assembly before the local elections in May, with president Quim Torra present expressing his support for the organisation and the role it played in last year’s independence bid. Torra said that local authorities continue to be “essential” in “making the Republic effective” and urged them to seek success at the ballot box.

Most of the mayors attending the event at the Ateneu of Sant Celoni took part in holding last year’s unilateral referendum on independence, and some of them are even under investigation or awaiting prosecution for their role in allowing the vote to go ahead.

In his speech, Torra thanked them for their role and their “faith” in Catalan institutions. “If there is anyone who never fails, it is the mayors,” he said, adding that they were the best guarantee for continuing with the process towards a Catalan republic.

Torra also highlighted three areas of consensus in the country: republican values, no tolerance for repression and the political use of the courts, and the right to self-determination. The president went on to make a call for putting “differences” to one side and for supporting Catalan and local institutions when it comes to facing the upcoming local elections.