Picking a new president cannot mean more prisoners, says ERC leader

Catalonia’s Esquerra Republicana party (ERC) wants to avoid the incarceration of more pro-independence officials. This is what the party secretary general, Marta Rovira, made clear in an interview with the Catalan News Agency. “Picking a new president should not mean criminal consequences or negative legal effects for a number of MPs,” she said.

There are currently four pro-independence leaders in jail, including ERC’s head and Catalan vice president Oriol Junqueras. In total, 28 people face criminal charges for their role in the political roadmap that concluded with a declaration of independence in October. All government members were dismissed by the Spanish president Mariano Rajoy—and all were subsequently sent to prison except for those who left the country, like president Carles Puigdemont.