Swearing jailed Sànchez in “possible,” says Esquerra

Pro-independence Esquerra party believes that swearing in the jailed MP Jordi Sànchez as president is “perfectly possible.” Sànchez is the nominated candidate for the post, but the parliamentary debate to elect him has not been held. He asked the judge in charge of his case for permission to attend the Catalan chamber but it was denied. While waiting for the outcome of an appeal in Spain’s Supreme Court, the pro-independence parties are discussing whether it is worth waiting for longer or it would be better to nominate for the post another MP.

In an interview with the Catalan News Agency (ACN), the deposed minister and current MP for Esquerra, Raül Romeva, said that there are formulas to swear him in despite Spain’s opposition. Sànchez’s candidacy, Junts per Catalunya, confirmed earlier this week in Brussels that they would not change their candidate and Esquerra supports its decision. Junts per Catalunya is the main pro-independence force in the Catalan Parliament.

Direct rule since October 2017

Yet during the interview, Raül Romeva he said that his investiture has to be “effective,” that is, he has to be able to take office and govern, rather than being “symbolic.” In fact, the deposed minister, who spent 32 days in pre-trial jail last November for the independence case, said that any “gesture” has to mean getting the Catalan institutions restored. The country has been directly ruled from Madrid from October 27, 2017. Following the declaration of independence, Mariano Rajoy removed all members of the Catalan executive.