Parliament summons last two Spanish presidents about direct rule
Former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, in exile, and former deputy Oriol Junqueras, in jail, also called to speak as witnesses
The Catalan parliament summoned the current Spanish president, Pedro Sánchez (Socialist party), and his predecessor in power, Mariano Rajoy (People's Party), to appear in the chamber and speak regards the period of direct rule in the country seen between October 27, 2017, and June 2, 2018.
The parliamentary investigation committee on the execution of the above-mentioned constitutional measure called on not only them to appear, but also the former Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, and his former vice president, Oriol Junqueras.
Rajoy was the Spanish head of government at the time that his cabinet launched the suspension of self-rule, with the approval of the then-leader of the main opposition party, Pedro Sánchez.
Puigdemont and Junqueras were the top officials in Catalonia on October 27, 2017, and they were then removed from power, along with the rest of the government. They had just organized a referendum on independence and promoted a declaration of independence.
Their appearances were approved by the two groups in the government coalition, Junts per Catalunya and Esquerra Republicana, along with Catalunya en Comú-Podem–not aligned in the national issue. While the Socialists voted 'no,' far-left pro-independence CUP, and unionist Ciutadans and People's Party did not attend the committee.
Yet they are not the only ones summoned to appear in the chamber: in total, 118 names have been approved by the committee.
Bank heads and archbishop of Barcelona, in the list
Among them, several former Spanish ministers, some former Catalan ministers now in jail or in exile, and other prosecuted politicians, along with several party leaders in Catalonia and Spain.
The archbishop of Barcelona and the main Catalan-born bank heads in 2017, professors, and others have also been summoned.