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The debate and vote on the confidence motion brought against Catalan president Quim Torra by opposition party Ciutadans (Cs) will take place on Monday 7th October. That was the decision of the speaker, Roger Torrent, after discussing the question this morning with the Parliament's governing Bureau and the Board of Spokespeople. Sources from the Board of Spokespeople say that most parties preferred the option Monday, whilst Cs wanted it to happen as soon as possible, even perhaps calling a special session on Saturday.

To be successful, the motion would need votes in favour from an absolute majority of the chamber. Taking for granted votes against from the government parties, JxCat and ERC, this means it has very little chance. Indeed, pro-independence party CUP has said it will not support the bill, which would mean it has no possibility of getting the necessary votes. Ciutadans has held talks with PSC and PP, but only has the support of the latter currently, the former having announced it will abstain.

Announcing their abstention, PSC spokesperson Eva Granados said that it's as clear that "Torra is the problem" as it is that Cs "is not the solution". En Comú, meanwhile, have also announced they won't support it either. Jèssica Albiach said the "problem isn't the motion, but who is presenting it", likening it to "sending a pyromaniac to put out the fire". That said, she also criticised Torra's government, saying it has "no direction nor project".

As Albiach noted, this comes a week after the annual general policy debate in the chamber ended in chaos, partly thanks to a leading Cs deputy. It also comes as thoughts turn to the official start of campaigning for the 10th November rerun Spanish general election.

Assuming Cs goes ahead with bringing the motion to the chamber, it would be the fourth to be debated there since the restoration of democracy at the end of the Franco regime. None of the previous attempts, in 1982 and 2001 against Jordi Pujol and in 2005 against Pasqual Maragall, were successful. In 2017, then leader of Cs in Catalonia, Inés Arrimadas, announced they would present a confidence motion against Carles Puigdemont, but this was never formally registered.

Last year, Pedro Sánchez ousted Mariano Rajoy as prime minister of Spain through a confidence vote in the Congress in Madrid. If Cs are successful on Monday, Torra will be replaced as president by Lorena Roldán. She would be the party's first president of Catalonia.