Executive Council of Catalonia
The Executive Council of Catalonia () or the Executive Government of Catalonia (Catalan: ) is the executive branch of the Generalitat of Catalonia. It is responsible for the political action, regulation, and administration of the government of the autonomous region. The President of the Generalitat is the head of government: he or she may also appoint a First Minister (Catalan: "Conseller(a) primer(a)") to serve as their deputy, although since 2006 the office has been replaced by that of the Vice-President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, who must be approved by the Parliament of Catalonia. The various ministers  (Catalan: "consellers") are also appointed by the President of the Generalitat. Ministers need not be deputies in the parliament, as they have an automatic right to intervene in parliamentary debates. Serving members of the government may not be arrested for any acts committed in Catalonia, except "in flagrante delicto", and may only be judged before the High Court of Justice of Catalonia, or the Criminal Chamber of the Supreme Court of Spain outside of Catalonia. The Parliament of Catalonia unilaterally issued a declaration of independence from Spain on 27 October 2017 in favour of a Catalan Republic. In response Spanish  Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy dissolved the Parliament of Catalonia and called a snap regional election for 21 December 2017. Former ministries. There have also been two ministers without portfolio in Catalan governments: