Speaker urges pro-independence parties to avoid new ‘shameful spectacles’

Catalan parliament speaker Roger Torrent has urged pro-independence parties to avoid any further “shameful spectacles,” a reference to last Wednesday’s unprecedented row between the two ruling parties in Catalonia over the suspension of former president Carles Puigdemont as an MP.

Spain’s Supreme Court ordered Puigdemont and five other politicians accused of rebellion to leave their seats in parliament until they face trial for organizing a referendum and declaring independence last October despite Spain’s opposition.

Pro-independence Esquerra (ERC), the party of speaker Torrent, argued for a temporary suspension of all six lawmakers involved. Its partner in government, Junts per Catalunya (JxCat), accepted, as long as it did not include Puigdemont, the party leader.