The spokesperson for the governing PP party in the Spanish Congress, Rafael Hernando, has this Tuesday described as "cosmic nonsense" the possibility that the Catalan pro-independence parties should end up presenting Jordi Sànchez, in pretrial detention since 16th November last year, as their candidate for president of Catalonia. He also called on the parties' leaders to agree on a "viable" candidate.
In a press conference in the Congress, Hernando described it as "ridiculous" that ERC and JxCat might be finalising an agreement to invest Sànchez as president. "Proposing a candidate who's in prison is cosmic nonsense," he said.
The PP leader then called on the Catalan independence movement to agree on a candidate not immersed in legal proceedings who would have a "real" possibility of governing Catalonia.
"The Dantesque spectacle" being given by proposing "fancies of the northern lights" is, in his opinion, a "mockery" of the whole population of Catalonia. "If they want to get rid of [Carles] Puigdemont or the 'Jordis', then do so", he said, "they no longer have to get on well with anyone".