Quim Torra facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Quim Torra
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Official portrait, 2018
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| 131st President of the Government of Catalonia | |
| In office 17 May 2018 – 29 September 2020 |
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| 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 |
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| In office 17 January 2018 – 27 January 2020 |
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| President of Òmnium Cultural | |
| In office 21 July 2015 – 19 December 2015 |
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| 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
(died 2024) |
| Children | 3 |
| Residence | Barcelona |
| Alma mater | Autonomous University of Barcelona |
| Occupation | Lawyer and editor |
| Signature |  |
Joaquim Torra i Pla (born 28 December 1962), known as Quim Torra, is a Catalan lawyer and journalist from Spain. He was the President of the Government of Catalonia from May 2018 to September 2020. He had to leave his position after a court ruled that he had not followed rules during an election campaign.
Torra was born in Blanes, Catalonia. He studied law at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. For about 20 years, he worked as an executive for a large insurance company. Later, he started his own publishing company. He also held important jobs for the City of Barcelona and the Catalan government.
Quim Torra supports Catalan independence. This is a movement that wants Catalonia to become an independent country. He has been a leader in several groups that support independence. In 2017, he was elected to the Parliament of Catalonia. In May 2018, he became the 131st President of Catalonia.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Quim Torra was born on 28 December 1962 in Blanes, a town in north-eastern Catalonia, Spain. He was the third of four children in his family. His family first lived in Santa Coloma de Farners. They moved to Blanes because his father worked there as an engineer. Later, the family moved to Barcelona.
Torra went to St. Ignatius College, Barcelona. In 1980, he started studying law at the Autonomous University of Barcelona. He finished his law degree in 1985. His parents later moved back to Santa Coloma de Farners.
Professional Career and Writing
For almost 20 years, Torra worked for a big international insurance company called Winterthur Group. He even spent two years working in Switzerland. While there, he became very interested in Catalan journalism from the 1920s and 1930s. When another company took over Winterthur, Torra decided to return to Catalonia. He wanted to focus on journalism and publishing.
In 2008, Torra started his own publishing company, A Contra Vent Editors. This company specialized in literary and humorous journalism. It aimed to bring back old Catalan literary traditions. Torra has written several books about the history of Catalonia, journalism, and biographies.
In 2009, he won an award called "Carles Rahola" for his essay, "Viatge Involuntari a la Catalunya Impossible". This book mixes facts and fiction to tell the stories of Catalan journalists from the 1920s and 1930s. He has also written articles for several newspapers and online publications.
From 2011 to 2015, Torra worked for the City of Barcelona. He helped promote the district of Ciutat Vella. He also directed the Born Centre de Cultura i Memòria, a cultural center. In 2015, he became the director of Revista de Catalunya. From 2016 to 2017, he directed the Catalan government's Center for Contemporary Subject Studies. Today, he works as a lawyer.
Activism and Political Life
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Quim Torra is a member of groups that support Catalan independence. These include Òmnium Cultural (OC) and Assemblea Nacional Catalana (ANC). He was the vice-president of Òmnium Cultural from 2013 to 2015. In 2015, he became the president of OC for a short time.
Torra has been part of different political groups. He is not currently a member of any political party. He was elected to the Parliament of Catalonia in the 2017 regional election. He ran as an independent candidate for the Together for Catalonia group.
After the 2017 election, the pro-independence groups kept a small majority in the Catalan Parliament. However, Spanish courts stopped three other candidates from becoming President. In May 2018, Quim Torra was chosen as the next candidate. On 14 May 2018, he was elected the 131st President of Catalonia. He officially took office on 17 May 2018.
In December 2018, Torra went on a 48-hour fast. He did this to support some political prisoners who were on a hunger strike.
Controversies and Court Case
Some articles written by Torra in 2012 caused strong reactions. Critics said that his words were very harsh when talking about people who did not support Catalan nationalism. He used strong metaphors to describe them. Torra later removed some old social media posts that also contained strong opinions.
These writings and posts led to criticism from many groups. Some European political leaders also spoke out against his words. Torra later apologized for his social media posts after he was nominated to be president.
In December 2019, a court ruled that Torra had not followed rules during the April 2019 general election campaign. He was asked to remove certain political symbols from a government building to ensure fairness during the election. The court found that he did not do this. As a result, he was told he could not hold public office for a year and a half. He also had to pay a fine.
Torra appealed this decision. However, in January 2020, the court confirmed that he would lose his seat in the Catalan Parliament. This meant he could no longer be the President of Catalonia. He officially left office in September 2020.
Personal Life
Quim Torra was married to Carola Miró. She was a teacher and passed away in May 2024. They had three children, two girls and one boy.
In March 2020, Torra announced that he had tested positive for COVID-19 during the COVID-19 pandemic in Spain.
Published Works
- Ganivetades Suïsses (2007, Símbol Editors; ISBN: 8495987546)
- Periodisme? Permetin! La vida i els Articles d'Eugeni Xammar (2008, Símbol Editors; ISBN: 8495987635), biography of Eugeni Xammar
- El Bibliobús de la Llibertat (Miquel Joseph i Mayol, 2008, Símbol Editors; ISBN: 8495987619) (ed. with Jaume Ciurana)
- Viatge Involuntari a la Catalunya Impossible (2010, Proa Edicions; ISBN: 8482569171)
- Honorables. Cartes a la Pàtria Perduda (2011, A Contravent; ISBN: 8493889717)
- Un Bohemi al Cabaret del Món. Vida de Manuel Fontdevila, un Senyor de Granollers (2013, A Contravent; ISBN: 9788415720119)
- Els Últims 100 Metres : el Full de Ruta per Guanyar la República Catalana (2016, Angle Editorial; ISBN: 8416139997)
- Muriel Casals i la Revolució dels Somriures (2016, Editorial Pòrtic; ISBN: 8498093775)
Electoral History
| Election | Constituency | Party | Alliance | Result |
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| 2017 regional | Province of Barcelona | Independent | Together for Catalonia | Elected |
See also
In Spanish: Quim Torra para niños
