Edu365.cat

Today, the 9th of May, elections are being held at the Institute of Catalan Studies (IEC), one of the country's most distinguished institutions, which encompasses academic, cultural and scientific activities. So let's take the opportunity to take a look at the objectives it works towards, how it is organised and the challenges it faces.

Firstly, we should point out that two candidates are running for election. The sociologist Salvador Giner and the philologist Joan Martí both aspire to hold the presidency of the IEC for the next four years. The last president of the Institute, Josep Laporte, who had held the position since 2002, passed away on the 15th February.

While Giner claims to want to continue the current line, Martí opts for continuation and renewal at the same time, but both vindicate the legacy of Laporte. In fact, the proposals of both candidates have much in common, which can serve to take note of some of the IEC's future challenges: better funding, maximum capitalisation of new technology, greater proximity to the public, a wider presence in all Catalan-speaking areas, etc.

As well as this, both candidates have obviously insisted on the importance of defending the unity of the Catalan language. On this point, one must not forget that one of the IEC's functions is to lay down the rules of the Catalan language and monitor the application of these rules in the relevant area: the lands of the Catalan language and culture.