On 1 October 2017, the Catalan people voted in a referendum for Catalonia's independence from the Spanish hereditary monarchy in the form of a new republic. On 27 October 2017, Catalonia's parliament declared independence. This began a process that will culminate in the establishment of a new state: the Catalan Republic.
As Spain continues to violently deny the Catalan people the human right to self-determination and to politically and legally persecute outstanding representatives of the Catalan nation with all means at its disposal, a Catalan government-in-exile has now been constituted outside Spain under the leadership of the legitimate Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, which will be supported for the time being by the Consell per la República (Catalana), the Council for the Catalan Republic, and will cooperate with Catalan institutions on the territory of the Spanish state. As it will operate from outside the Spanish territory, it will be able to effectively enforce what the Catalan institutions are denied within Spain by the Spanish central state.
After the legitimate Catalan President Carles Puigdemont was overwhelmingly elected President of the Consell per la República, he presented the members of his government on 8 April 2022. The vice-president is Toni Comín, Catalan MEP and Catalan minister unlawfully deposed by Spain. Another four men and five women were appointed by Carles Puigdemont:
- Antoni Castellà
- Montserrat Corrons
- Guillem Fuster
- Carme García
- Lluís Llach
- Aurora Madaula
- Lluís Puig
- Neus Torbisco
- Teresa Vallverdú
On the shoulders of these eleven representatives of Catalonia now rests the responsibility of fulfilling the mandate given to politics by the Catalan people on 1 October 2017 and of moving forward the process of peacefully establishing the state sovereignty of Catalonia. The Catalan revolution is in full swing and will permanently change and shape the European Union.
Due to the brutal repressive measures taken so far by the Spanish state, which continues to refuse any real dialogue, the Catalans who want to renounce the use of violence are left only with intelligent confrontation. The cost to the Spanish state of maintaining its Catalan colony must be driven up to such an extent that it far exceeds the profit Spain is squeezing out of Catalonia. The international community must be made aware of the truth about Spain and the Spanish state must be isolated internationally as long as it massively disregards human rights and persecutes and oppresses the Catalan people and their elected representatives.
The Council for the Catalan Republic has revealed essential pillars of its strategy in the document «Preparem-nos» ('Let us prepare!'). It seems that only by confrontation and by contesting Spain's control over Catalonia can the Catalan people force the opening of serious negotiations that must precede the state separation of Catalonia and Spain in order to achieve the constitution of the new republic peacefully. The Catalans are determined to constitute themselves as an independent republic and are also in a position to realise their strategy and internationalise the conflict between Spain and Catalonia in a form that will affect Spain severely. The longer Spain will refuse to recognise the Catalan people's right to self-determination, guaranteed by the Spanish Constitution and the United Nations, the higher the price Spain will pay.
Visca Catalunya! Viscan els Països Catalans! Cheers to Catalonia and the Catalan countries!