The spokeswoman for a leading Catalan separatist party says a judge’s decision to keep the region’s former vice-president jailed was politically motivated. Republican Left of Catalonia party spokeswoman Marta Rovira said Monday’s ruling by a Supreme Court judge in Madrid was an attempt to sideline Oriol Junqueras from running in a regional election this month. The early election is an attempt to find a democratic way out of the political crisis sparked by the push for independence led by the ousted regional government. The much-watched CIS survey released Monday says that the three separatist parties in the parliament would win 66 or 67 seats in a new Catalan parliament. Two separatist activists facing sedition charges are also expecting a decision over their jailing orders by the same Supreme Court magistrate.

Source: National Post December 04, 2017 09:08 UTC