Spanish authorities reports that two fugitive Catalan separatists elected to the European Parliament, if they want to be European lawmakers, must risk arrest by returning to Spain to pick up their official credentials.
On Thursday, Spain’s Electoral Board ruled that all the elected candidates from Spain to the European Parliament must come to the Spanish Parliament at noon on Monday to swear loyalty to the Spanish Constitution as dictated by election law. If not, their parliament seats will be declared vacant.
Carles Puigdemont, former Catalan President and cohort Toni Comín are declared wanted in Spain after deserting the country for Belgium following a failed 2017 attempt by the northeastern region of Catalonia to secede from Spain.
They, along with fellow separatist Oriol Junqueras who is in jail in Madrid, were elected to posts in the May 26 European vote.