The constitution of the Assembly of Elected Officials of Catalonia this Wednesday evening in the Palau de Congressos de Catalunya represents the coming of age of the Council for the Republic as a tool of the independence movement capable of overcoming the machinery and the constraints imposed by the Spanish state. It's not been an easy journey; nor is it, for the moment, irreversible. But it's worth highlighting the importance of the consensus between all the pro-independence parties for the creation of the Assembly, which is the first political embryo of the Council for the Republic. Likewise, the attendance of more than 2,000 registered members who are town councillors, deputies and senators. Nor is the moment of its constitution a coincidence: two years after the exile and imprisonment of members of the Catalan government.
With a certain and unintended disarray, there are responses to the Supreme Court's verdict at all levels: from the institutions, politics, the world of business, the unions, the universities, sports, civil associations, professional bodies, etc. The new body of elected officials, designed at a time when there was a wish for a body capable of substituting during the onslaught of a new article 155, is born with vague roles, although with the strength necessary of anything that smells of political unity. It's also born without strict control from the parties although that will have to be seen as time goes by.
The forceful speech by president Carles Puigdemont by videolink from Waterloo, certifying that the independence movement is resuming on the path towards the recognition of the Catalan republic, will have to be complemented, in any case, by deeds which haven't been seen yet and with actions which the pro-independence parties have so far brought up far more doubts about than action.
The joint direction of the Catalan elected officials necessarily requires consensus, something which is always good if it doesn't lead to paralysis. The list of amnesty, release of the prisoners, return of the exiles, end of the repression, support for the popular mobilisation, defence of the sovereignty of the institutions, demand for dialogue with the state, a negotiating table and international mediation to solve the conflict with Spain is a starting point. The next phase of the independence movement will necessarily be to set out the timetable for a response from the state and to manage the support for the popular mobilisation at a time when the initiatives continue to burst the parties and pro-sovereignty bodies at the seams.