Parliament at standstill as pro-independence parties quarrel

A quarrel between the two pro-independence parties ruling Catalonia left the parliament at a standstill and put the government at risk on Thursday. The issue: their response to Spanish court rulings ordering the suspension of former president Carles Puigdemont and other MPs accused of rebellion.

On Tuesday, pro-independence parties passed a motion rejecting the Spanish Supreme Court suspension of Puigdemont and other MPs, currently on trial for organizing a referendum on independence last October. The motion also stated that the prosecuted MPs could be substituted by a party colleague.

While Esquerra (ERC) designated Sergi Sabrià as the substitute for MPs Oriol Junqueras and Raül Romeva, Junts per Catalunya (JxCat) rejected replacing Puigdemont and three other party members in prison, arguing that they will continue to vote by delegation, and that a court cannot strip them of their political rights as MPs.