Oriol Junqueras i Vies is a Spanish politician, historian and academic from Catalonia. A former mayor of the municipality of Sant Vicenç dels Horts in north-eastern Spain, 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, sentenced to 13 years for his role in organizing the 2017 Catalan independence referendum. He is president of the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC). 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.