Quim Torra facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable 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 (1962-12-28) 28 December 1962 (age 62) Blanes, Catalonia, Spain
Political party	Together for Catalonia
Other political affiliations	Reagrupament Democratic Union of Catalonia
Spouse	Carola Miró ​ (died 2024)​
Children	3
Residence	Barcelona
Alma mater	Autonomous University of Barcelona
Occupation	Lawyer and editor
Signature

Joaquim Torra i Pla (born December 28, 1962), often called Quim Torra, is a lawyer and journalist from Catalonia, a region in Spain. He is a strong supporter of the Catalan independence movement.

Torra served as the 131st President of the Government of Catalonia from May 2018 to September 2020. His time as president ended after a court ruling. The court decided he had disobeyed the Central Electoral Board during the 2019 general election. This led to him being disqualified from holding public office.

Before becoming president, Torra worked as a lawyer and for an insurance company. He also started his own publishing company. He has been involved in several pro-independence groups, such as Òmnium Cultural and the Assemblea Nacional Catalana.

Early Life and Education

Quim Torra was born on December 28, 1962, in Blanes, a town in Catalonia, Spain. His family was originally from Santa Coloma de Farners. His father worked as an engineer, and the family later moved to Barcelona. Torra attended St. Ignatius College in Barcelona.

In 1980, he began studying at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He graduated in 1985 with a degree in law.

Career Before Politics

Torra receiving an award in October 2009.

After university, Torra worked for an insurance company called Winterthur Group for about 20 years. For two of those years, he worked in the company's office in Switzerland. While there, he became interested in the history of Catalan journalism from the 1920s and 1930s.

When he returned to Catalonia, he decided to focus on journalism and publishing. In 2008, he started his own publishing company, A Contra Vent Editors. The company focused on reprinting works from Catalan journalists of the early 20th century.

Torra has written several books about Catalan history and journalism. In 2009, he won an award for an essay about the history of Catalan journalism. He has also written for newspapers like Ara and El Punt Avui.

From 2011 to 2015, he worked for the city of Barcelona. He was in charge of promoting the Ciutat Vella district. He also served as the director of the Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria, a cultural center in Barcelona.

Political Career and Activism

Torra speaking at the Òmnium Cultural's general assembly in December 2015.

Torra has been very active in the movement for Catalan independence. He is a member of important pro-independence groups like Òmnium Cultural and the Assemblea Nacional Catalana (ANC). He was the temporary president of Òmnium Cultural in 2015.

He was elected to the Parliament of Catalonia in the 2017 regional election. He ran as an independent candidate for the Together for Catalonia (JuntsxCat) alliance.

Becoming President of Catalonia

Torra becoming President of Catalonia on May 17, 2018.

After the 2017 election, pro-independence parties held a majority in the Catalan Parliament. They tried to name three different people as president, but Spanish courts blocked them. In May 2018, Quim Torra was chosen as the new candidate.

On May 14, 2018, the Catalan Parliament voted to make him the 131st President of Catalonia. He was sworn into office on May 17, 2018. His government took office on June 2, which ended seven months of direct rule from Madrid over Catalonia.

Controversial Writings and Statements

Some of Torra's past writings and social media posts from around 2012 have caused controversy. In these posts, he criticized Spain and people who are against Catalan culture and nationalism.

Critics, including some European politicians, said his words were divisive and unfair. The French organization SOS Racisme also criticized the tone of his articles. After he was nominated for president, Torra apologized for his past statements.

Legal Case and Removal from Office

"Freedom Political Prisoners" sign at the Barcelona City Hall. A similar sign was placed on the government palace by Torra.

A sign about "Freedom of Opinion and Expression" that replaced the first one for a while.

In 2019, during an election period, Torra was ordered by Spain's Central Electoral Board (JEC) to remove pro-independence symbols from the main government building. The JEC said these symbols were partisan and should not be displayed during an election.

Torra did not remove the symbols right away. Because of this, the High Court of Justice of Catalonia found him guilty of disobedience in December 2019. The court ruled that he could not hold public office for a year and a half.

Torra appealed the decision to Spain's Supreme Court. However, in January 2020, the JEC ordered that he be stripped of his seat in the Catalan Parliament. On September 28, 2020, the Supreme Court confirmed the High Court's ruling, and Torra was officially removed from his position as president.

Personal Life

Torra was married to Carola Miró, a teacher. She passed away from cancer on May 4, 2024. They had three children together: two daughters and a son.

In March 2020, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Torra announced that he had tested positive for the virus.

Published Books

• Ganivetades Suïsses (2007)
• Periodisme? Permetin! La vida i els Articles d'Eugeni Xammar (2008), a biography of Eugeni Xammar
• El Bibliobús de la Llibertat (2008) (editor)
• Viatge Involuntari a la Catalunya Impossible (2010)
• Honorables. Cartes a la Pàtria Perduda (2011)
• Un Bohemi al Cabaret del Món. Vida de Manuel Fontdevila, un Senyor de Granollers (2013)
• Els Últims 100 Metres : el Full de Ruta per Guanyar la República Catalana (2016)
• Muriel Casals i la Revolució dels Somriures (2016)

Electoral History

Images for kids

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  Torra at the opening of a restaurant in September 2013.

See also

In Spanish: Quim Torra para niños