27 Facts About Artur Mas

Artur Mas i Gavarro is a Spanish politician from Catalonia.

Artur Mas was president of the Government of Catalonia from 2010 to 2015 and acting president from September 2015 to 12 January 2016.

In 2001 Artur Mas was named general secretary of CDC, then, in 2012 he was named president of the party until the party was refounded in July 2016 as PDeCAT, which he presided between July 2016 and January 2018.

Artur Mas attained the presidency in two elections, 2010 and 2012 but neither with an absolute majority.

Artur Mas is an economist who obtained his degree from the University of Barcelona, and is fluent in English and French, in addition to Catalan and Spanish.

Artur Mas's ideology tends to be considered liberal from the economic point of view and supportive of Catalan independence.

In 2010 for the first time Artur Mas indicated he would vote 'yes' on a hypothetical referendum to secede from Spain.

Since then, sovereignty and Catalan independence have become the central part of his political agenda, with Artur Mas being instrumental in CDC's novel turn towards separatism.

Artur Mas was born in Barcelona as one of the four children of a wealthy industrialist family.

Artur Mas's mother was originally from Sabadell and his father from Poblenou.

Artur Mas studied at the Aula escola europea, and is thereby fluent in French, English, Catalan and Spanish.

Juan Mas Roig, great-great-grandfather of the former president of the Generalitat Artur Mas, was a slave ship captain who in 1844 moved 825 slaves from Africa to Brazil.

Artur Mas was a member of the Barcelona City Council from 1987 to 1995, representing the Democratic Convergence of Catalonia.

Artur Mas served as Catalan Minister of Public Works from 1995 to 1997, as Minister of Economy and Finance from 1997 to 2001, and Deputy Prime Minister from 2001 to 2003, as well as being the government's official spokesman from 2000 to 2003.

Artur Mas ran for the 2003 elections to the Catalan government and won a plurality of seats in the parliament, with four more than PSC.

The 'Refoundation of Catalanism' that Artur Mas is actively leading calls for Catalonia to obtain the so-called 'Right to decide' on matters that affect it.

The Catalan elections that took place on 28 November 2010 were to finally determine the political future of Artur Mas, who was for the third time CiU's candidate to the presidency.

Artur Mas was eventually invested as president of the Generalitat on 23 December 2010 thanks to an agreement to get the Socialists' Party of Catalonia abstention in the vote In the investiture speech, Mas claimed a new funding model for Catalonia inspired by the Economic Agreement and proclaimed the Catalonia national transition based on the "right to decide".

The agreement with the PSC proved fragile, which forced Artur Mas to seek new allies in the regional parliament, this time engaging in talks with the Popular Party.

In September 2012, less than 2 years into his first term and only months after having closed a de facto agreement with the PP, Artur Mas declared in a speech to Parliament that it was time for the people of Catalonia to exercise the right of self-determination.

Hence, on 25 September 2012, Artur Mas announced snap elections for the Parliament of Catalonia to be held on 25 November and argued, referring to the demonstration, that "the street vocal must be moved to the polls".

Artur Mas was invested for the second time President of Catalonia on 21 December 2012 and 24 December he took up office at the Palace of the Government of Catalonia.

Artur Mas intended to avoid prosecution by reducing it to a non-binding and purely symbolic vote, and staffing it with volunteers.

Artur Mas was charged by the attorney general with perverting the course of justice, misuse of public funds and abuse of power, with regards to the role he assumed in the unofficial referendum.

Artur Mas espouses the vision that "Spain can only become a full nation if Catalonia ceases to be a part of it".

In January 2016, after three months of what was defined as "rancorous infighting" in the separatist camp, Artur Mas eventually stepped down at the eleventh hour from his candidature for the presidency in order to allow a government to be formed and a third consecutive snap election to be avoided.

Subsequently, as CDC was refounded as PDeCAT, Artur Mas retained the presidential role in the refounded party.