Catalonia & the Generalitat
Of the 17 autonomous regions within Spain, only Navarra and the Basque Country have more self-government than Catalonia. The Catalan Generalitat consists of a parliament, a president and an executive council. In 2006, Jose Montilla Aguilera of the socialist PSC (Partit Socialista de Catalunya) was elected as its 128th president, defeating the centre-right CiU (Convergència I Unió), which had enjoyed 26 years of continuous power with Jordi Puyol (1980-2003) then Pascal Maragall (2003-2006) at the helm. The seat of the Generalitat is found in Plaça Jaume, opposite the Ajuntament (town hall, see below). Local governments are divided into comarques (counties) and smaller municipalities. While shared jurisdiction with the Spanish government is common, in certain matters of commerce, culture and transport, local authorities are granted autonomy. The justice system is an exception, run by national judicial institutions. One major drawback of being an autonomous community within the Spanish state – and one that rankles – is that Catalonia has no official international status.