Three councilors will stand in for the president during his absence in August.

The Official Gazette of the Generalitat de Catalunya (DOGC) publishes this Thursday Decree 125/2026, of 23 July, which establishes who will stand in for the president of the Generalitat from 13 to 23 August, while he remains outside Catalonia. Three ministers will take turns with the responsibility in a staggered manner over these eleven days. The text, signed by President Salvador Illa i Roca, appears in DOGC no. 9729 with the reference CVE-DOGC-A-26223033-2026.

The decree is issued in accordance with Article 6 of Law 13/2008, of 5 November, on the presidency of the Generalitat and the Government, which regulates the substitution of the president in case of absence. It has a single article, with no additional provisions, and determines the persons who will exercise the substitution “in the exercise of their functions” throughout the period in which the president is outside Catalonia. The text was signed in Barcelona on 23 July 2026 and is published on the same day the absence begins.

A rotating handover over eleven days

The decree establishes a substitution schedule covering the eleven days between 13 and 23 August. The three designated ministers are members of the Government of the Generalitat and assume the functions of the presidency during the period assigned to each:

• On 13 and 14 August: the Minister of the Presidency, Albert Dalmau Miranda.
• On 15 and 16 August: the Minister of the Interior and Public Safety, Núria Parlon Gil.
• From 17 to 23 August: the Minister of Justice and Democratic Quality, Ramon Espadaler Parcerisas.

The handover begins this very Thursday, 13 August, and lasts until Sunday 23, thus covering the president’s entire absence.

Legal framework and scope of the substitution

The substitution is based on Article 6 of Law 13/2008, which provides that, when the president is absent, a member of the Government assumes his or her functions. Decree 125/2026 specifies this provision for the period between 13 and 23 August 2026, while the president remains outside Catalonia.

The text specifies that the designated ministers will exercise the substitution “in the exercise of their functions”, that is, with the powers inherent to the presidency for the duration of the absence. The decree does not add any special conditions: it merely determines the persons and the corresponding time periods, without altering the rest of the organisation of the Government.

Publication and signature

The decree bears the signature of President Salvador Illa i Roca and was formalised in Barcelona on 23 July 2026, with the registration number 26,223,033. It is published in the Appointments and Personnel section of DOGC no. 9729, corresponding to 13 August 2026, within the Department of the Presidency, with the official reference CVE-DOGC-A-26223033-2026.

The publication has a direct impact on citizens, because it determines who leads the Government during the president’s summer absence. For eleven days, decisions requiring presidential action will rest with the three appointed councillors, who guarantee the continuity of the executive while Salvador Illa is away from Catalonia.

Source: Diari Oficial de la Generalitat de Catalunya (DOGC), no. 9729, of 13 August 2026, section Positions and staff, p. 1 (official reference: CVE-DOGC-A-26233023-2026).