Junts presents its foundation with Laura Borràs as academic director

BarcelonaThe Junts foundation is finally underway, with Laura Borràs as its academic director. The former Speaker of Parliament will be the face of Fundem la República, which emerged from what was the think tank Democrats – now integrated into Junts –. The disqualification imposed on him by the High Court of Justice of Catalonia in the case of the Institution of Catalan Letters prevents her from being its president. The Catalan Civil Code establishes that to preside over a foundation it is necessary to be a patron, and that Those disqualified from holding public office cannot occupy this position., as is the case with Borràs. The foundation, which was officially presented this Friday, has chosen this formula so that Borràs can direct the day-to-day running of the entity from its executive branch without being a trustee, as was originally planned. when she stepped aside for Carles Puigdemont to return to preside over Junts. The objective is for Fundem to serve as a "laboratory of ideas" for the party and provide it with material for reflection and debate so that it can establish a political position.

From the Library of Catalonia, Borràs presented this Friday what will be the first exhibition organized by the foundation in a press conference with its president, Jordi Mas, and the executive director, Dani Planàs. It is a traveling exhibition about the origins of Catalan and its history, entitled We are what we speak. Our language, our country. It will begin in Girona on October 15th and then travel to Prats de Molló, in northern Catalonia, before moving on to Perpignan, Vic, Manresa, and Olot.

The former Speaker of the Parliament has defended opening the foundation's program of events with an exhibition on language because it is a "national" issue and not just a cultural one. However, the foundation will not limit itself to working on these issues and will also address economic and social debates from the "transversality" of the currents that, according to Borràs, exist within Junts: the left, the social democrats, and the liberals. On October 18th and 19th, they will organize training sessions.

Without Turull

The Junts Foundation was launched without its Secretary General, Jordi Turull, but with a recorded message from former President Carles Puigdemont. The Junts leader praised Borràs's qualifications—a university professor—for assuming the position of academic director. "We need a space for thought and people like President Borràs at the helm, who have the generosity to put this experience at the service of the country and enrich the joint debate on the independence movement," he asserted. Junts Vice President Toni Castellà and MP Francesc de Dalmases, as well as Executive Director Teresa Vallverdú, were also present at the event. All of them visited the exhibition, which was exceptionally on view today at the Biblioteca de Catalunya before it begins its tour of the Catalan Countries.

Unlike the PSC, Esquerra, and Comuns, Junts did not have a foundation until now. Borràs recalled that she herself expressed her "concern" about this aspect in 2023. The former Speaker of the Parliament acknowledged that it was her disqualification that prevented her from becoming its president: "I am not a member of the board of trustees; everyone knows why," she lamented. Before the sentence condemning her for splitting contracts in the ILC became final, The Government issued a report which concluded that those disqualified could not be patrons and, therefore, presidents. This forced Raül Romeva, then president of the Josep Irla Foundation, to resign. He was still convicted of embezzlement and not granted amnesty for this crime by the Supreme Court. He, too, remains linked to the foundation, but as a spokesperson.

Sentenced to four and a half years in prison (currently suspended), 13 years of disqualification, and a €36,000 fine, Borràs is still waiting to find out if she will be pardoned. that the Superior Court of Justice of Catalonia itself advised to grant her in the sentence where she was convicted for the splitting of contracts when she was president of the ILC. The Prosecutor's Office opposes and the party maintains that Borràs has been a victim of "lawfare".