Episode 29: Catalan Politics 101 with Andrew Dowling

The Sobremesa Podcast

On Sunday the 14th February, Catalonia will go to the polls, this time to elect a regional government. This is the second regional election since the October 2017 independence referendum. The first in December 2017 was called by then Spanish President Mariano Rajoy, in that election the biggest party Cuidudanos won the most seats but could not form an administration. A regional government was formed by independence forces JuntsxCats/ERC/CUP. Quimm Torra was elected as regional president. In the April 2019 general election, Torra went against Spanish election rules. After many long judicial battles, Torra was dismissed as regional premier and forced to call regional elections. These are those elections. Since the 2017 elections much has changed in Catalan politics and national politics. Both are intertwined and can effect each other. Here is my interview with Andrew Dowling. A lecturer at Cardiff University and author of the book The Rise of Catalan Independence Spain’s Territorial Crisis. Here he explains recent developments in Catalan politics and the build up to these elections.