Diana Riba nominated as ERC candidate for European elections

The executive board of Catalan pro-independence party Esquerra (ERC) has officially proposed the current Member of the European Parliament, Diana Riba, as its candidate for the upcoming European elections, scheduled for June 9.

Riba, currently ERC's spokesperson in the European Parliament, has spent nearly five years working to "protect rights and freedoms" within the European Union, the party said. 

Her focus has been on "fighting repression", promoting ecological and feminist policies, and "defending Catalonia's right to self-determination."

Riba entered the European Parliament in 2019 and spent the first months of her term defending the political rights of pro-independence figures such as Oriol Junqueras, Carles Puigdemont, and Toni Comín, who were prevented from taking their seats by Spanish court orders.

During this period, Riba held high-level meetings with former President of the European Parliament David Sassoli and Justice Commissioner Didier Reynders. 

With this announcement, Esquerra begins its internal processes for the selection of a candidate, involving its base through upcoming territorial meetings.