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JxCat has presented a number of amendments to the reform to the Law of the Presidency that they themselves proposed to invest Carles Puigdemont as president at a distance, with the aim of clarifying that both ministers and collegiate bodies can be nominated and then operate from abroad. The reform would allow Puigdemont to head the Catalan government and the pro-independence politicians in exile to be ministers.

JxCat presented the original reform to the Parliament on 9th February. Parties had until this Monday to present amendments, but after two months only JxCat have done so. Even then, JxCat sources have told El Nacional that they are only "technical amendments" to clarify that both the president and the ministers can take meetings and decision even with one of the members abroad, without having to delegate their functions as currently.

In the original draft, JxCat proposed that all the government's collegiate bodies "can be constituted, call and hold their meetings, adopt agreements and file minutes both in person and at a distance", an idea they have now developed and clarified to specify that it stands for "the government and the rest of the collegiate bodies".

They've also modified part of the existing legislation which said that the president has to attend the first cabinet meeting in person or through a delegate, and more weight has been given to taking part by telecommunications, in keeping with the rest of the reform.

 

Investiture without candidate

The current law states that a candidate for investiture has to present "their government manifesto before the plenary assembly", but JxCat's reform eliminates this language, saying instead that an investiture debate can be held without the candidate in case they are absent, ill, or prevented from attending, if so authorised by an absolute majority of the plenary session. "The refusal of this authorisation" is equivalent to a failed investiture vote and, as such, would activate the two-month countdown to the automatic calling of new elections JxCat say.

As well as the president, this reform will also allow members of the Catalan government "to be in different places -and not the meeting room in the Palau de la Generalitat [government palace], as is normal- as long as they confirm by electronic means, including telephonic or audiovisual means, the identity of the members or people substituting them". "Among others, email, conference calls and video conferences are considered included among the valid electronic means", says the proposal, which adds that when the members of the government use such methods it will be understood that they cannot be considered absent.

Ready to go to the chamber

The reform will reach the Parliament's governing Bureau this Tuesday. Everything suggests that the amendments will be considered and approved, thanks to the JxCat/ERC majority on the Bureau. This law is being processed as fast as possible; it remains to be seen whether JxCat want to use it to invest Puigdemont in the near future, which would cause new tension with the Spanish state, or whether they plan it to be used for investitures in the long term.

Once the amendments have been accepted by the Bureau, the bill will be ready to go to the chamber in a plenary session, but the groups can first ask for the Council of Statutory Guarantees to analyse whether the amendments meet the requirements of the Catalan Statute of Autonomy and the Spanish Constitution. A number of groups have actually already asked for such an analysis of the first reform proposed by JxCat and the body is to report back in the coming days. Nonetheless, its verdicts aren't binding, so the motion could still move ahead despite a possible negative judgement.