Catalonia’s sacked vice president Oriol Junqueras and three other separatist leaders will remain in prison during a probe over their role in the region’s independence drive, a Spanish judge decided on Monday, as critical Catalan elections approach. In 2015 those same parties won 72 seats, which allowed them to form the largest bloc in the region’s parliament. But this time around, pro-independence parties are running on separate lists. His lawyer said at the weekend that he would remain in Belgium until after the Catalan elections, which indicates he will campaign from there. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and fellow opponents of Catalan independence, meanwhile, have hitched their hopes on a record turnout on December 21 to return a legislature in favour of unity with Spain.

Source: Dhaka Tribune December 04, 2017 13:41 UTC