Quim Torra gives a speech during the second day of the parliamentary session debating on his investiture as the new Catalan president at the regional parliament on May 14, 2018, in Barcelona, Spain.
The Catalan parliament, ending months of uncertainty, on May 14 appointed Quim Torra, a fervent supporter of independence from Spain, as the regional president. Meanwhile, the Spanish central government will soon end its direct control of the Catalan government. Both events will lead to some degree of normalization in the region after months of direct Spanish government control. But they will also open the door for another round of confrontation between the region and the central government. Catalonia has experienced a turbulent few months. On Oct. 1, the Catalan government defied a ruling by the Spanish Constitutional Court by holding an independence referendum that had been declared illegal. After the referendum passed, the Catalan parliament declared independence . This prompted the Spanish central government to dismiss the Catalan government, take direct control of many of the region's institutions and organize an early regional election.
