Global InformationOriol Junqueras information
Oriol Junqueras GMGC MP | |
|---|---|
 Junqueras in 2016 | |
| Vice President of Catalonia | |
| In office 14 January 2016 – 28 October 2017 | |
| President | Carles Puigdemont |
| Preceded by | Neus Munté |
| Succeeded by | Office suspended Pere Aragonès (2018) |
| Minister of Economy and Finance, Catalonia | |
| In office 14 January 2016 – 27 October 2017 | |
| President | Carles Puigdemont |
| Preceded by | Andreu Mas-Colell |
| Succeeded by | Pere Aragonès |
| Member of the Parliament of Catalonia for the Province of Barcelona | |
| In office 17 December 2012 – 10 July 2018 (suspended) | |
| Mayor of Sant Vicenç dels Horts | |
| In office 11 June 2011 – 23 December 2015 | |
| Preceded by | Amparo Piqueras Manzano |
| Succeeded by | Maite Aymerich |
| Member of the European Parliament for Spain[1] | |
| In office 14 July 2009 – 31 December 2011 | |
| Succeeded by | Ana Miranda Paz |
| Member of the Municipality Council of Sant Vicenç dels Horts | |
| In office 2007–2015 | |
| Member of the European Parliament for Spain[2] | |
| In office 2 July 2019 – 2 January 2020 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Oriol Junqueras i Vies 11 April 1969 Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain |
| Citizenship | Spanish |
| Political party | Republican Left of Catalonia |
| Alma mater | Autonomous University of Barcelona |
| Occupation | Academic |
| Signature |  |
Oriol Junqueras i Vies (Catalan pronunciation: [uɾiˈɔl ʒuŋˈkeɾəz i ˈβi.əs]; born 11 April 1969) is a Catalan politician and historian.[3] A former mayor of the municipality of Sant Vicenç dels Horts in Catalonia, Junqueras served as Vice President of Catalonia from January 2016 to October 2017, when he was removed from office following the Catalan declaration of independence and entered prison until June 2021 for his role in organizing the 2017 Catalan independence referendum.[4] He is president of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC).[5] Born in 1969 in Barcelona, Junqueras grew up in the municipality of Sant Vicenç dels Horts. After graduating from the Autonomous University of Barcelona, he taught history at the university.[6]
As a supporter of Catalan independence, Junqueras joined ERC in 2010. Three years before, he had been elected to the Municipality Council of Sant Vicenç dels Horts for the same party, and in 2011 he became mayor. He was elected a member of the European Parliament (MEP) in 2009, a seat he held until January 2012. In 2012 he was elected as a member of the Parliament of Catalonia for the Province of Barcelona. In January 2016, following an agreement between the Junts pel Sí (JxSí), an electoral alliance of which ERC was a part, and the Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP), Junqueras was appointed Vice President of Catalonia.
On 1 October 2017, an independence referendum was held in Catalonia despite the Constitutional Court of Spain ruling that it breached the Spanish constitution. Ninety-two percent supported independence, though turnout was only 43%. Catalan government officials argued that the turnout would have been higher were it not for Spanish police suppression of the vote.[7][8][9] On the other hand, many voters who did not support Catalan independence did not turn out,[10] as the constitutional political parties asked citizens not to participate in what they considered an illegal referendum.[11][12]
The Catalan Parliament declared independence on 27 October 2017, which resulted in the Spanish government imposing direct rule on Catalonia, dismissing the Executive Council of Catalonia. The Catalan Parliament was dissolved, and fresh elections called. On 30 October 2017, charges of rebellion, sedition, and misuse of public funds were brought against Junqueras and other members of the Puigdemont government. On 2 November 2017, Junqueras and seven other Catalan ministers were remanded in custody by the Audiencia Nacional. Six of the ministers were released on bail on 4 December 2017, while Junqueras and Minister of the Interior Joaquim Forn were kept in custody. At the 2017 Catalan regional election held on 21 December, Junqueras was re-elected to Parliament and Catalan pro-independence parties retained an absolute parliamentary majority. Junqueras was suspended as an MP by a Supreme Court judge on 10 July 2018.[13] On 14 October 2019, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison and a 13-year ban from holding public office for the crimes of sedition and misappropriation of public funds.[14] The European Court of Justice ruled on 19 December 2019 that Junqueras had parliamentary immunity as he was an elected MEP, and should have been released from prison.[15] He was freed in June 2021 following a Spanish government pardon after he had served 3 and a half years.[16][17]
- ^ "7th parliamentary term: Oriol JUNQUERAS I VIES". European Parliament. 11 April 1969.
- ^ "9th parliamentary term: Oriol JUNQUERAS I VIES". European Parliament. 11 April 1969.
- ^ Junqueras, Oriol; Mejide, Risto. "Oriol Junqueras, a Risto: "Me veo como presidente de Cataluña"". Cuatro (in Spanish). Retrieved 25 October 2017.
In my ID it says I'm Spanish, At this time I'm a Spanish citizen from a legal point of view
- ^ Gabilondo, Pablo (14 October 2019). "Oriol Junqueras, condenado a 13 años de cárcel por sedición y malversación". El Confidencial. Retrieved 2 November 2019.
- ^ "Who are we?". Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
HP160914was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Hilary Clarke; Isa Soares; Vasco Cotovio (2 October 2017). "Catalonia referendum plunges Spain into political crisis". CNN. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
Turnout was about 42% of the 5.3 million eligible voters... Turull said more people would have voted had it not been for Spanish police suppression. Up to 770,000 votes were lost as a result of the crackdowns at police stations, the Catalan government estimated.
- ^ Gerard Pruina (2 October 2017). "El 'sí' a la independència s'imposa amb 2.020.144 vots, el 90%". Ara.Cat. Retrieved 4 October 2017.
Els encarregats de donar els resultats des del Centre Internacional de Premsa, el vicepresident, Oriol Junqueras; el conseller de la Presidència, Jordi Turull, i el conseller d'Exteriors, Raül Romeva, han remarcat contínuament que, tot i que els 2.248.000 vots no suposen 'per se' el 50% del cens, els càlculs dels experts apunten que sense pressió policial i tancament de col·legis s'hauria pogut arribar al 55% de participació.
- ^ "Los Mossos cerraron más colegios el 1-O". La Vanguardia. 6 October 2017. Retrieved 13 February 2019.
- ^ Erickson, Amanda (30 September 2017). "Catalonia independence vote: What you need to know". Washington Post. Retrieved 2 October 2017.
- ^ "Iceta pide a los catalanes que no acudan a votar para no "dar valor" al referéndum". ABC (in European Spanish).
- ^ Molpeceres, Diego. "Referéndum en Cataluña - Un referéndum sin campaña por el 'no' a la independencia". Vozpópuli (in Spanish).
- ^ Llarena cierra el sumario del ‘procés’ y suspende como diputados a Puigdemont y Junqueras Published by El País, 10 July 2018, Retrieved 10 July 2018.
- ^ Sam Jones; Stephen Burgen (14 October 2019). "Catalan separatist leaders given lengthy prison sentences". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 14 October 2019.
- ^ "EU court says Spain should have freed Catalan MEP to take office". Al Jazeera. 19 December 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2019.
- ^ "Freed Catalan leader calls on Spain to 'think about future generations'". The Guardian. Retrieved 28 June 2021.
- ^ "Freed Catalan Leader Junqueras Vows to Continue Working for Independence". US News. Retrieved 28 June 2021.