Puigdemont ‘convinced’ parliament will not accept his suspension as MP

Pro-independence parties at odds over how to implement orders from the Spanish judiciary

Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont speaks at the PXL University College in Belgium (by Blanca Blay)
Former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont speaks at the PXL University College in Belgium (by Blanca Blay) / ACN

ACN | Barcelona

September 19, 2018 02:24 PM

Carles Puigdemont, the former Catalan president prosecuted for organizing a referendum and declaring independence, is "absolutely convinced" lawmakers in the Parliament of Catalonia will not accept orders from the Spanish judiciary to suspend him as an MP.

When the Supreme Court dismissed Puigdemont and other MPs accused of rebellion last July, pro-independence parties quarreled over how to implement the ruling.

While Esquerra Republicana (ERC) offered to temporarily replace the prosecuted MPs, Puigdemont’s Junts per Catalunya party (JxCat) did not accept the former president losing his voting rights.