Carles Puigdemont

This is a Catalan name. The first family name is Puigdemont and the second is Casamajó.
Carles Puigdemont Casamajó
Carles Puigdemont Casamajó

President of Catalonia
Assumed office
12 January 2016
Vice President Oriol Junqueras
Preceded by Artur Mas
Mayor of Girona
In office
1 July 2011 – 11 January 2016
Preceded by Anna Pagans
Succeeded by Albert Ballesta
Member of the Parliament of Catalonia
Assumed office
10 November 2006
Constituency Girona
President of the Association of Municipalities for Independence
In office
17 July 2015 – 11 January 2016
Preceded by Josep Maria Vila d'Abadal
Succeeded by Josep Andreu
Personal details
Born (1962-12-29) 29 December 1962
Amer, Catalonia, Spain
Political party Democratic Convergence of Catalonia
Spouse(s) Marcela Topor
Children Magalí
Maria
Alma mater University of Girona
Profession Journalist

Carles Puigdemont i Casamajó (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈkarɫəs pudʒðəˈmon i kəzəməˈʒo]) (Amer, 29 December 1962) is a politician and former journalist from Catalonia. He is the current President of the Generalitat of Catalonia. He became the 130th President of the Generalitat of Catalonia thanks to an agreement between Junts pel Sí and CUP.[1][2] He is also a member of the Parliament of Catalonia and the former mayor of Girona.[3]

Life and education

Puigdemont was born in Amer (Province of Girona) on December 29, 1962,[4] and he currently lives in Girona with his wife and two children.[5] He started studying for a degree in Catalan philology at the University College of Girona, but never graduated. His professional profile is that of a journalist. He was the editor-in-chief of El Punt, the director of Agència Catalana de Notícies, and the director of the newspaper Catalonia Today, which offers news about Catalonia in English. He is a member of the Catalan journalists' association, and has published several books, such as Cata… què? Catalunya vista per la premsa internacional [Catalonia as seen by the foreign press] (1994) and several essays about communication and new technologies.

Puigdemont was a founding member of the Nationalist Youth of Catalonia branch in Girona.[4] He is also a member of Democratic Convergence of Catalonia, and between 2002 and 2004 he was the director of Girona's Casa de Cultura. Since 2006 he has been a member of the Parliament of Catalonia.[6]

In 2007, Puigdemont ran for the local elections in Girona as Convergence and Union's candidate, but he was not successful and remained in opposition. However in the following local elections (2011), he managed to break Socialists' Party of Catalonia's 32-year hegemony in Girona and became mayor.[7]

In July 2015 he succeeded Josep Maria Vila d'Abadal as the Chair of Association of Municipalities for Independence and was elected as an MP for Girona's Together for Yes candidature in the elections for the Parliament of Catalonia (September 27, 2015).[8] He was elected as President of Catalonia on January 10, 2016, following a last-minute agreement between the pro-Catalan independence parties Together for Yes and CUP.[9][10] On 11 January 2016 he resigned as Mayor of Girona because he is not allowed to be President and Mayor at the same time.[11] He is the first Catalan President, to refuse to take the oath of loyalty to the Spanish constitution, and Felipe VI.[12]

References

  1. ↑ "Junts pel Sí i la CUP tanquen un acord per a dur endavant la legislatura". VilaWeb.cat (in Catalan). 9 January 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  2. ↑ "Acord entre Junts pel Sí i la CUP amb Carles Puigdemont de president i sense Mas". 324.cat (in Catalan). 9 January 2016. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  3. ↑ "Carles Puigdemont personal blog - About me".
  4. 1 2 "Carles Puigdemont i Casamajó". www.enciclopedia.cat. Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  5. ↑ Vilà, Dani (5 March 2014). "Si sabem oferir un producte genuí, la marca Barcelona és una oportunitat". El Punt Avui (in Catalan). Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  6. ↑ "Puigdemon'ts profile as a MP". Parlament de Catalunya (in Catalan).
  7. ↑ "Carles Puigdemont (CiU) serà el nou alcalde de Girona i acaba amb 32 anys d'hegemonia del PSC". Ara.cat (in Catalan). 22 May 2011. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  8. ↑ March, Oriol (27 December 2015). "La refundació de CDC passa pels alcaldes". Ara. p. 22.
  9. ↑ "Carles Puigdemont, de alcalde de Girona a president de la Generalitat" [Carles Puigdemont, from mayor of Girona to president of the Generalitat]. La Vanguardia (in Spanish). January 9, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2016.
  10. ↑ "The parties in Catalonia have reached an agreement to form an independentist government". Vilaweb. 2016-01-09. Retrieved 2016-01-09.
  11. ↑ "Puigdemont renuncia a la alcaldía de Girona tras ser investido President". La Sexta (in Spanish). January 11, 2016. Retrieved January 11, 2016.
  12. ↑ "The Catalan cauldron". www.newstatesman.com. Retrieved 2016-04-28.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Carles Puigdemont.
Preceded by
Artur Mas		 President of Catalonia
2016–present 		Incumbent
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