Junqueras announces his intention to be the ERC candidate in the upcoming Catalan elections.

ERC leader Oriol Junqueras will announce his intention to be the Republicans' candidate in the upcoming Catalan elections at a press conference tomorrow, Tuesday.

Junqueras will announce his intention to run as the ERC candidate for the Presidency of the Generalitat (Catalan Government) during a conference entitled "A New National Ambition" at the National Auditorium of Catalonia, according to El Periódico and Catalunya Ràdio, and confirmed by ERC Deputy Secretary General Oriol López.

Although he remains banned from office until 2031, Junqueras is awaiting the application of the Amnesty Law in the coming months so he can run in the elections and return to teaching at the university.

López stated on Catalunya Ràdio that Junqueras "will explain his determination to build a better future for this country and announce his willingness to take a step forward to make it possible; that is, that he is eager to lead the ERC candidacy in the future elections."

"The country needs the best assets to push forward new proposals, and we believe Junqueras is one of the best assets this country has," he stressed.

Regarding the ERC leader's legal situation, López noted that the ruling on the appeal for amnesty filed before the Constitutional Court will be issued "soon." The European Union's Advocate General is expected to publish his conclusions on the law on November 13.

López emphasizes that Junqueras has only been able to be a candidate "in a real way" once, in 2012, Efe reports. He then adds that the ERC membership will have the final say in choosing the candidate through primaries, but affirms that the party leadership "is very determined" to make this happen.