The head of Catalan separatist party ERC is one of five Catalan leaders on trial for their roles in an October 2017 Catalonian secession bid who were elected deputies in Spain's April 28 general election. Four won seats in the lower house of parliament and one was elected to the Senate. The JxCAT won seven seats, giving Catalan separatist parties a total of 22 seats in the assembly. Junqueras is the lead candidate in this weekend's European Parliament election for a European regionalist party that defends the right to self-determination, the European Free Alliance. "I am convinced that the European Parliament will not leave anybody out and I will be able to exercise my mandate as a European member of parliament.

Source: Bangkok Post May 21, 2019 03:00 UTC