Quim Torra
Joaquim Torra i Pla (Catalan: [ʒu.əˈkim ˈtorə i pla]; born 28 December 1962), known as Quim Torra, is a Catalan lawyer and journalist from Spain. He served as President of the Government of Catalonia from 17 May 2018 to 28 September 2020, when the Supreme Court of Spain confirmed a court ruling by the High Court of Justice of Catalonia condemning him for disobeying the Central Electoral Board during the April 2019 general election, leading to his disqualification from office.
Quim Torra | |
|---|---|
Official portrait, 2018 | |
| 131st President of the Government of Catalonia | |
| In office 17 May 2018 – 29 September 2020 | |
| Monarch | Felipe VI |
| Vice President | Pere Aragonès |
| Preceded by | Direct rule (Carles Puigdemont until 28 October 2017) |
| Succeeded by | Pere Aragonès |
| Member of the Catalan Parliament for the Province of Barcelona | |
| In office 17 January 2018 – 27 January 2020 | |
| President of Òmnium Cultural | |
| In office 21 July 2015 – 19 December 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Muriel Casals |
| Succeeded by | Jordi Cuixart |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Joaquim Torra i Pla 28 December 1962 Blanes, Catalonia, Spain |
| Political party | Together for Catalonia |
| Other political affiliations | Reagrupament Democratic Union of Catalonia |
| Spouse | Carola Miró |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Barcelona |
| Alma mater | Autonomous University of Barcelona |
| Occupation | Lawyer and editor |
| Signature | |
Born in Blanes, Torra graduated from the Autonomous University of Barcelona before joining the legal profession. He worked as executive for a multinational insurance company for twenty years before starting his own publishing company. He later held senior positions for the City of Barcelona and Generalitat de Catalunya.
A supporter of Catalan independence, and former member of Democratic Union of Catalonia and Reagrupament, Torra does not currently belong to any political party. He has held senior positions in several pro-independence organisations including the Òmnium Cultural and Assemblea Nacional Catalana. He was elected to the Parliament of Catalonia at the 2017 regional election as an independent candidate for the pro-independence Together for Catalonia electoral alliance. In May 2018, he was elected 131st president of the Government of Catalonia, after the Spanish courts blocked three other candidates.