President of the Government of Catalonia

The president of the Government of Catalonia (Catalan: President de la Generalitat de Catalunya, IPA: [pɾəziˈðen ʒənəɾəliˈtad kətəˈluɲə]) is head of government of Catalonia, leading the executive branch of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the Catalan government.

President of the Government of Catalonia
President de la Generalitat de Catalunya
Incumbent
Salvador Illa
since 10 August 2024
Executive Council of Catalonia
Generalitat de Catalunya
StyleEl Molt Honorable Senyor
(The Right Honourable)
ResidenceCasa dels Canonges
SeatBarcelona
NominatorParliament of Catalonia
AppointerThe Monarch
countersigned by the Prime Minister
Term lengthFour years, renewable
Inaugural holderBerenguer de Cruïlles (1359)
Formation1359
DeputyVice President
Salary€136,177.50 per year
Websitepresident.cat

It is one of the bodies that the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia stipulates as part of the Generalitat de Catalunya, others being the Parliament, the Govern or Executive Council, the Council for Statutory Guarantees, and the Catalan Ombudsman (Síndic de Greuges).

The current president is Salvador Illa of the Socialists' Party of Catalonia, who won a plurality in the 2024 Catalan regional election and formed the first unionist government in Catalonia since 2010.[1]

The current presidency

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The president is elected by the Parliament of Catalonia and appointed by the King of Spain. The office has both representative and governmental functions.

Representative functions

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The president holds the highest representation of the Generalitat and the ordinary of the State in the autonomous community. He is also in charge of the domestic relations with the other bodies of the State and with the autonomous communities of Spain that Catalonia shares interests with. The President is also responsible for calling for elections (which must be done at least every four years) and appointing the regional ministers (officially called consellers) and other high offices as stipulated by law. As ordinary representative of the State in Catalonia, he promulgates laws in the autonomous community in name of the King.

Governmental functions

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The president is member of the Catalan government and leads and coordinates it. He selects and may dismiss the ministers, call for a meeting of the Executive Council, and act as its chairman. Further, he signs decrees accorded by the Executive Council and orders them to be published. He can also call for an extraordinary meeting of the Catalan parliament which, given the case, can be ordered to be dissolved or hold a general debate.

Moreover, the president must coordinate the legislative agenda of its government, the elaboration of general normatives and give all the information that Parliament may decide to request.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "El Parlament designa a Salvador Illa president y consagra el cambio de ciclo en Cataluña" [The Catalan Parliament chooses Salvador Illa as President, establishing a change of cycle in Catalonia] (in European Spanish). El País. 2024-08-08. Retrieved 2024-08-10.
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