Cs wants suspended MPs to give up seats

The Catalan Parliament bureau will decide on Wednesday whether six MPs can keep their seats after a judge suspended them over their role in the independence process.

The chamber lawyers suggest the six suspended MPs could be temporarily replaced by existing lawmakers, without having to give up their seats.

This way they could still keep their right to vote with an existing fellow MP representing them. This would mean no new politicians would be standing in for the suspended MPs and will maintain the parliamentary majority that resulted from the last election.

Most parties agree with the idea, including the Socialists (PSC) and the non-aligned Catalunya-EnComú Podem. Left-wing pro-independence ERC admitted it could accept this option while Junts per Catalunya (JxCAT), Carles Puigdemont's party, doesn't like the idea of 'suspending' MPs and argues for the parliamentarians to be just temporary replaced.  

However, unionist Ciutadans (Cs) said on Tuesday that the move would be "a fraud" and would imply not complying with the judge ruling.

Cs leader Inés Arrimadas insisted that the option put forward by the chamber lawyers would mean, in practice, "no change" to the current situation. Now, jailed MPs are allowed to vote by delegating their vote to a fellow MP.  

"Will the Spanish president look the other way while his partners do not comply with a court ruling?" she asked. Cs wants the six MPs, prosecuted for rebellion, to give up their seats.

Meanwhile, far-left pro-independence CUP also rejected the idea, but for the completely opposite reason. According to the CUP, Parliament should "disobey" the court ruling and not suspend prosecuted MPs.

The Spanish Supreme Court suspended six pro-independence lawmakers, including former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and former vice president Oriol Junqueras.

The Spanish Criminal Code allows judges to do so for individuals prosecuted for rebellion and with a prison order hanging over them.