Oriol Junqueras facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Oriol Junqueras GMGC
Junqueras in 2016
President of Republican Left of Catalonia
Incumbent
Assumed office 14 December 2024
Preceded by	Marta Rovira (acting)
In office 17 September 2011 – 10 June 2024
Preceded by	Joan Puigcercós
Succeeded by	Marta Rovira (acting)
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 of Catalonia
In office 14 January 2016 – 27 October 2017
President	Carles Puigdemont
Preceded by	Andreu Mas-Colell
Succeeded by	Pere Aragonès
Member of the European Parliament
In office 2 July 2019 – 2 January 2020 (suspended)
Succeeded by	Jordi Solé i Ferrando
Constituency	Spain
In office 14 July 2009 – 31 December 2011
Succeeded by	Ana Miranda Paz
Constituency	Spain
Member of the Parliament of Catalonia
In office 17 December 2012 – 10 July 2018 (suspended)
Constituency	Barcelona
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 Municipality Council of Sant Vicenç dels Horts
In office 2007–2015
Personal details
Born	Oriol Junqueras i Vies (1969-04-11) 11 April 1969 (age 56) Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain
Citizenship	Spanish
Political party	Republican Left of Catalonia
Alma mater	Autonomous University of Barcelona
Occupation	Academic
Signature

Oriol Junqueras i Vies (born April 11, 1969) is a Spanish politician and historian from Catalonia. He was the mayor of Sant Vicenç dels Horts, a town in Catalonia. Junqueras also served as the Vice President of Catalonia from January 2016 to October 2017. He is currently the president of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) political party.

Born in Barcelona, Junqueras grew up in Sant Vicenç dels Horts. After studying at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, he taught history there. He became involved in politics, supporting Catalan independence. He joined the ERC party in 2010 and was elected to the European Parliament in 2009.

Early Life and Education

Oriol Junqueras was born on April 11, 1969, in Barcelona, Spain. His father was a teacher, and his mother was a nurse. When he was two years old, his family moved to Sant Vicenç dels Horts. He went to an Italian school in Barcelona, where he learned Italian. As a child, he helped his family with their almond and olive farms.

Junqueras has said he started supporting Catalan independence when he was eight years old. He studied economics at the University of Barcelona before transferring to the Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB). He earned a degree in modern and contemporary history in 1996. He then continued his studies at UAB, earning a PhD.

Academic Work

In 2002, Junqueras received his doctorate in History of Economic Thought from UAB. He later taught history at the university. His PhD research focused on economic ideas in Catalonia during the early modern period.

He has also worked as an advisor and writer for radio and television shows in Catalonia. These shows were about politics and history. He has also written several books, often with other authors. Some of his books include Els Catalans i Cuba (1998) and La Batalla de l'Ebre (1999).

Political Journey

Artur Mas and Oriol Junqueras signing a government agreement in December 2012

Oriol Junqueras first ran for local elections in Sant Vicenç dels Horts in 2003 but was not elected. In 2007, he was elected to the Municipality Council for the ERC party. In 2011, he became the Mayor of Sant Vicenç dels Horts. He was re-elected as mayor in 2015.

In 2009, Junqueras was elected as a member of the European Parliament. He served in this role until January 2012. In 2011, he became the leader of the Republican Left of Catalonia party.

In 2012, he was elected to the Parliament of Catalonia. In December 2012, his party, ERC, agreed to support the government led by Artur Mas. This agreement included a plan for a vote on independence in 2014. In January 2013, Junqueras became the Leader of the Opposition in the Catalan Parliament.

He was re-elected to the Catalan Parliament in 2015. In January 2016, he was appointed Vice President of Catalonia and Minister of Economy and Finance. This happened after an agreement between pro-independence parties.

Catalonia's Independence Events

In June 2017, the President of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, announced a vote on Catalan independence for October 1, 2017. The Catalan Parliament passed a law to allow this vote. However, the Constitutional Court of Spain suspended the law, saying it was against the Spanish constitution.

Despite this, the vote went ahead. About 43% of people voted, and 92% of those who voted supported independence. Many people who did not support independence did not vote. Spanish police tried to stop the vote, and about 900 people were injured.

On October 27, 2017, the Catalan Parliament declared independence. Soon after, the Spanish government took control of Catalonia, removing Puigdemont and the Catalan government. The Catalan Parliament was dissolved, and new elections were called for December 2017.

Oriol Junqueras and other members of the Catalan government faced legal action. On November 2, 2017, Junqueras and seven other Catalan ministers were held in custody. Six of them were later released on bail, but Junqueras remained in custody.

In the December 2017 election, Junqueras was re-elected to Parliament while still in custody. Pro-independence parties kept their majority in the Catalan Parliament. On July 10, 2018, Junqueras was suspended as an MP.

On October 14, 2019, he was given a sentence that included time in prison and a ban from holding public office. However, the European Court of Justice later ruled that he should have had special protection as an elected Member of the European Parliament. In June 2021, the Spanish government pardoned Junqueras and eight other Catalan politicians. He was released after being in custody for about three and a half years.

Personal Life

Oriol Junqueras married Neus Bramona, a school teacher, in 2013. They have two children, a son named Lluc and a daughter named Joana. Junqueras is a Catholic.

Books by Oriol Junqueras

• Els Catalans i Cuba (1998)
• Catalunya, Espanya, Cuba: Centres i Perifèries (1999)
• Manel Girona, el Banc de Barcelona i el Canal d'Urgell: Pagesos i Burgesos en l'Articulació del Territori (2003, co-author Maria Antònia Martí Escayol)
• Guerres dels Catalans (2005, co-author Enric Calpena i Ollé)
• Guerra, Economia i Política a la Catalunya de l'Alta Edat Moderna (2005)
• Economia i Pensament Econòmic a la Catalunya de l'Alta Edat Moderna: 1520-1630 (2006)
• Camí de Sicília: l'Expansió Mediterrània de Catalunya (2008)
• Les Proclames de Sobirania de Catalunya (1640-1939) (2009, co-authors Adrià Cases & Albert Botran)
• Converses amb Oriol Junqueras: Una Actitud per fer Avançar el País (2011, co-author Bernat Ferrer i Frigola)
• Història del Japó (2011, co-authors Dani Madrid i Morales, Guillermo Martínez Taberner & Pau Pitarch Fernández)
• Revoltats (2015, co-author Justo Molinero Calero)
• Sublevados (2015, co-author Justo Molinero Calero)

Electoral History

See also

In Spanish: Oriol Junqueras para niños