Catalonia Independence

This week saw the start of the High Court trial of four figures connected to the regional police involved in the events of 2017

In his first interview since being sworn back into office, Pedro Sánchez said he would see Quim Torra in February, and promised to have a new budget passed by summer

The four defendants in this new court case related to the secessionist challenge include Josep Lluís Trapero, the then-head of the Mossos d’Esquadra regional police force

Carles Puigdemont and Toni Comín will be open to extradition to Spain depending on a vote by the chamber, but would not lose their seats until convicted of an offense

The move marks a change in strategy on the part of the central government, and comes after dialogue between Madrid and Barcelona over the relevant decrees

Quim Torra is awaiting a Supreme Court ruling on an appeal against his ban from public office, which was handed down after he was found guilty of disobedience

Speaking to reporters, Pedro Sánchez said that he now has “no reservations” about the leader of his coalition partner Podemos, Pablo Iglesias, despite statements he made last year

While former colleagues Carles Puigdemont and Toni Comín will be able to take their seats in Strasbourg today, Oriol Junqueras will remain in custody based on a Supreme Court ruling

Quim Torra is expected to continue serving as regional premier while magistrates consider his appeal against a ruling that bans him from public office for 18 months

Magistrates have ruled that the 13-year jail sentence handed down to Oriol Junqueras of the Catalan Republican Left means he is barred from serving as an MEP

A day after being sworn back into office, Pedro Sánchez calls Quim Torra and states that he has “the sincere will to try to sort out the political conflict” in the northeastern Spanish region

The leader of the conservative Popular Party withdraws earlier offers of support, saying that PM Pedro Sánchez has left the country “in the hands of terrorists and coup plotters”

Spain’s JEC sent a communication on Friday stating that Oriol Junqueras was ineligible for the role given that he is currently serving a jail sentence

Pedro Sánchez of the Socialist Party will lead the first coalition government in recent democratic history after securing parliamentary backing by a razor-thin margin of two votes

Given the arithmetic in Congress and stated intentions of opposition parties, Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is facing a term that is likely to be beset by problems from the start

The regional parliament has rejected the decision, describing it as a “coup,” while Quim Torra says that sovereignty resides in the Catalan chamber

The Socialist Party politician is still expected to be voted back in as prime minister at a second poll on Tuesday. Catalonia was the key issue of the two-day session in Congress, with multiple attacks directed at the candidate for his deal with the Catalan Republican Left

The national council of the Catalan Republican Left has agreed to abstain at the investiture vote of Pedro Sánchez, who will likely become prime minister once more on Tuesday

There have been few attempts by the Socialist Party to justify the unusual timing of the upcoming votes in Congress, but the risks of its deal with the Catalan Republican Left loom large

The caretaker prime minister will need to secure an absolute majority at the first vote or a simple majority at the second if his bid to get back into office is to prosper

The Socialist Party and the Catalan Republican Left have been negotiating for weeks in order to secure the latter’s abstention at an investiture debate that could see Pedro Sánchez voted back in as prime minister

The legal representation of the Spanish state has, however, stated that the immunity granted to Oriol Junqueras by the European Parliament should be suspended as soon as possible

Carles Puigdemont, who is in self-imposed exile, believes the Supreme Court has an “obligation” to shelve the case against him because he enjoys immunity as an elected MEP

According to information obtained by EL PAÍS, the members of the elite military group Unit 29155 made a total of four trips to the Catalan capital