On the strength of the positive results in the Spanish parliamentary elections, Catalan independentists expect to send more members of their ranks to the next European Parliament in the May European elections.
At least that is what Meritxell Serret i Aleu, the representative of Catalonia to the EU, hoped for at a press briefing on the parliamentary elections in Spain on Tuesday 30 April. “if the tendency that we have seen in the general elections continues in the next municipal and European elections we could expect that the independentists forces could gain one or two seats more in the European Parliament”, she told EUROPE.
It is true that the results of the last elections are positive for Catalan independentists (see EUROPE 12244/3). The Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) became the leading party after the counting of the votes with 24.59% of the votes (compared to 18.17% in the 2016 elections), and the Catalan European Democratic Party (PDECAT), of which the former President of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, is a member, registered 11.55% of the votes.
At present, four MEPs from the Catalan pro-independence ranks sit in the European Parliament. Two are from the ERC, Josep-Maria Terricabras and Jordi Solé. They are in the Greens/EFA group. One comes from the Catalan European Democratic Party (PDECAT), Ramon Tremosa, who is a member of the ALDE group. Finally, one last one, Ernest Urtasun, came from the Green Catalonia Initiative (ICV), which also sits in the Greens/EFA group.
Carles Puigdemont. Asked about the situation of Mr Carles Puigdemont, Toni Comín and Clara Ponsatí, who were banned from running on a European list by the Spanish electoral authority (see EUROPE 12244/19), Ms Serret i Aleu recalled that the decision was highly controversial. “It’s important to notice that this decision from the Spanish general board was not taken by unanimity, nor by consensus. But the president and other members of this Spanish general election board did not agree with this decision”. The representative of Catalonia indicated that they would appeal to the Supreme Court, or even the Constitutional Court, for a decision within 2 weeks. (Original version in French by Pascal Hansens)