A PRO-CATALAN independence coalition has nominated Jordi Sanchez, jailed former head of the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), as top of its list for the snap general election called by Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
He will stand under the banner Together for Catalonia in the April 28 poll.
The decision followed a meeting of the coalition, which included the European Democrats of Catalonia (PDECat) and the National Call for the Republic (La Crida). Former president Carles Puigdemont joined the meeting by Skype from his exile in Belgium.
Míriam Nogueras will be second on the list, followed by Eduard Pujol and Carles Campuzano, currently the PDECat spokesperson in the Spanish Congress.
European and municipal polls will be held in May, after the general election.
Voting is likely to be heavily influenced by the fate of the 12 prisoners currently on trial at Spain’s Supreme Court, for their role in the 2017 independence referendum.
They include Sanchez, former interior minister Joaquim Forn, who will stand for mayor of Barcelona, Jordi Turull and Josep Rull, ex-ministers who are likely to be nominated on one of the coalition’s electoral lists.
Meanwhile, Spain’s National Court has confirmed it will try the former leaders of Catalonia’s police force Mossos d’Esquadra for their part in the indyref.
Former Mossos chief Josep Lluís Trapero, ex-interior ministry officials Cèsar Puig and Pere Soler and former police head, Teresa Laplana, are accused of putting the Catalan force “at the service of the plans for independence”.
Mossos officers closed around 300 polling stations during the indyref under orders from the Spanish courts but, unlike their National Police counterparts they used no force or violence against voters.
Trapero – hailed a hero for his force’s handling of the Barcelona terror attacks – was demoted by the Spanish government, but resigned shortly afterwards.
In his evidence to the Supreme Court, Forn, who was in charge of the Mossos at the time of the poll, said he “defended the referendum as a politician, but told Catalan police to follow court orders”.
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