The Generalitat de Catalunya (Spanish: Generalidad de Cataluña, Occitan: Generalitat de Catalonha) is the institutional system of the political structure of Catalonia in which the self-government of Catalonia (Barcelona, Spain) is politically organized. It’s an integrated system with the Parliament of Catalonia, the Presidency of the Generalitat, the Government and the other institutions of the administration.
It has its origin in the permanent deputations created to govern the administration between meetings of the Courts in the different territories of the Crown of Aragon and which gave rise to the Diputació del General del Principat de Catalunya (1359), the Diputació del General of the Kingdom of Aragon (1362) and in the Deputation of the General of the Kingdom of Valencia (1412). Its official seat is the Palau de la Generalitat de Catalunya in the city of Barcelona.
History
Catalonia’s political past as a territorially differentiated community with its own representative and separated institutions, materialized in the institutional systems of the combined Catalan counties (9th–12th centuries), the Principality of Catalonia within the Crown of Aragon (1164–1714) and the Monarchy of Spain (1516–1714/1833), as well the establishment of Catalan self-government from 1931 onwards, can be divided into different stages, separated by ruptures in the legal/public order.
The Generalitat of Catalonia can trace its origins in the Catalan Courts, as during the reign of James I the Conqueror or James I of Aragon (1208–1276) they reunited and were convoked by the king, as representatives of the social statements of the time. Under the reign of Peter III of Aragon (1276–1285), the Catalan Courts gained institutional status, after the king obliged himself to celebrate an annual “General Court”. The Catalan Courts exercised as Council and had legislative functions through its three branches (braços): the ecclesiastical (clergy), the military (nobility) and the popular (villages and towns submitted to direct rule of the king). This union of the tree branches was named “Lo General de Cathalunya”, where “General” means the political community of the Catalans as a whole.
In 1289 when the first step into becoming an institution happens during the Courts celebrated in the castle of Montsó (located in the Kingdom of Aragon, ruled by Count of Barcelona, since the year 1151 AD when Count Ramon Berenguer IV married Princess Petronilla of Aragon). A commission was then designed as “Diputació del General” (Deputation of the General), as to temporarily collect the “services” or tributes that the “branches” granted the king on his demand. This tax was popularly known as “Drets Generals” (General Rights) or “generalitats” (generalities), finding its counterpart in the French “Généralités”, which were also founded as taxing districts.
Current status
In 2016, Carles Puigdemont, member of the Catalan European Democratic Party, successor formation to the defunct Convergence and Union alliance, was elected President of the Generalitat of Catalonia. He was suspended from office on 27 October 2017, by the Spanish government.
After a number of attempts to invest a new president, Joaquim Torra i Pla became president on 17 May 2018, with Together for Catalonia and Republican Left of Catalonia votes in favor.
On 22 May 2021, Pere Aragonès i Garcia from the Republican Left of Catalonia was elected the 132nd president of the Generalitat.
System
Legislature
The Parliament of Catalonia (Catalan: Parlament de Catalunya) is the unicameral legislative body of the Generalitat and represents the people of Catalonia. Its 135 members (diputats) are elected by universal suffrage to serve for a four-year period. According to the Statute of Autonomy, it has powers to legislate over devolved matters such as education, health, culture, internal institutional and territorial organization, nomination of the President of the Generalitat and control the Government, budget and other affairs. The last Catalan election was held on 12 May 2024, and its current speaker (president) is Josep Rull i Andreu, incumbent since 11 June 2024.
Presidency
The President of the Generalitat of Catalonia (Catalan: president de la Generalitat de Catalunya) is the highest representative of Catalonia, and is also responsible of leading the government’s action, presiding the Executive Council. Since the restoration of the Generalitat on the return of democracy in Spain, the Presidents of Catalonia have been Josep Rull i Andreu (1977–1980, president in exile since 1954), Jordi Pujol i Soley (1980–2003), Pasqual Maragall Mira (2003–2006), José Montilla Aguilera (2006–2010), Artur Mas i Gavarró (2010–2016), Carles Puigdemont i Casamajó (2016–2017) and, after the imposition of direct rule from Madrid, Joaquim Torra i Pla (2018–2020), Pere Aragonès i Garcia (2020–2024) and Salvador Illa Roca (2024–).
Executive
Executive Council of Catalonia (2021–2024). Pere Aragonès, President of the Generalitat, is located at the centre.
The Executive Council (Catalan: Consell Executiu) or Government (Govern), is the body responsible of the government of the Generalitat, it holds executive and regulatory power, being accountable to the Catalan Parliament. It comprises the President of the Generalitat, the First Minister (conseller primer) or the Vice President, and the ministers (consellers) appointed by the president. Its seat is the Palau de la Generalitat, Barcelona. The current government is formed by the center-left pro-independence Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) after a political crisis in which the center-right member of the coalition Together for Catalonia (Junts) abandoned in 2022 its ministerial seats. It is made up of 14 ministers, alongside to the President and a secretary of government.
Main facts 2024
- Employees 240,000
- Annual budget €34.03 billion (2017)
Address
- Pl Sant Jaume, 4, Barcelona
- District: Ciutat Vella, Neighborhood: Gothic Quarter
