MADRID (AP) — The Latest on the political crisis in Catalonia (all times local):

The speaker of Catalonia's parliament has postponed a session intended to re-elect the Spanish region's fugitive ex-president.

Roger Torrent announced the decision Tuesday, hours before the session he had called to hold a vote authorizing separatist leader Carles Puigdemont to form a government.

The decision comes after Spain's top court had ruled Puigdemont, who faces arrest in Spain, would have to return from Belgium and ask a judge permission to attend the session.

Torrent says he will reconvene the session once Spanish authorities guarantee they "won't interfere" in the election of Puigdemont.

Puigdemont is the focus of an investigation into October's illegal— and unsuccessful— declaration of independence.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is urging the Catalan parliament not to press ahead with the candidacy of fugitive leader Carles Puigdemont for regional president and instead to opt for a lawmaker free of legal proceedings.

Speaking Tuesday on Spanish National Television hours before the parliament is scheduled to hold an investiture vote for Puigdemont, Rajoy said the parliament speaker will face legal consequences if he disobeys a Constitutional Court order saying Puigdemont can only be voted on if he is physically present and has previously obtained court permission.

Puigdemont faces arrest if he returns to Spain.

Rajoy said the "most sensible" thing for the parliament speaker would be to propose a "clean candidate" who is willing to obey the law and work for the return of normality in Catalonia.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>BARCELONA (Reuters) - Catalonia on Tuesday postponed the election of a new regional president until further notice after Spain’s highest court said the sole nominee, separatist leader Carles Puigdemont, was ineligible while he remains a fugitive from justice in Belgium.

The industrial northeastern region’s drive for a split from Spain has led it to clash with the country’s central government and judiciary which say a declaration of independence is against the country’s 39-year-old constitution.

The speaker of the house, Roger Torrent, gave no reason for the delay but said he would not nominate an alternative candidate. Separatists have a majority in the regional assembly and Puigdemont would almost certainly win the vote.

Their decision to stick with Puigdemont suggests they will continue to push for secession, giving the national government in Madrid no reason to end the direct control that it imposed to block the independence drive.

“Another candidate will not be presented,” Torrent said during a snap news conference.

Hundreds of protestors gathered outside the Catalan parliament in Barcelona on Tuesday, many wearing Puigdemont masks and chanting ‘Puigdemont, our president!”

An October referendum on secession was ruled illegal by the Constitutional Court and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy fired the region’s administration when it declared independence. Puigdemont faces charges of sedition and rebellion in Spain.

The crisis has shaken the confidence of companies in the region, causing thousands to move their registered headquarters elsewhere in Spain, and has deeply divided Catalan society.

The Constitutional Court said on Saturday Puigdemont could not be elected unless he was physically present in the parliament, with a judge’s permission to attend.

If he returns to Spain, Puigdemont faces the prospect of arrest on charges that could result in decades-long prison sentence if he is tried and convicted.

He has said he can lead Catalonia from abroad, and on Monday ruled out seeking a judge’s permission to attend the parliament in person.

Various regional cabinet members are in jail awaiting trial on charges of sedition, rebellion and misappropriation of funds for their role in organizing the vote and the independence declaration.</s>MADRID: Catalonia on Tuesday postponed the election of a new regional president until further notice after Spain's highest court said the sole nominee, separatist leader Carles Puigdemont, was ineligible while he remains a fugitive from justice in Belgium.

Catalonia's independence drive has sparked clashes with the Spanish government and judiciary, which say that any vote or move toward secession from Spain is unconstitutional.

The speaker of the house, Roger Torrent, gave no reason for the postponement but said he would not nominate an alternative candidate. Separatists have a majority in the regional assembly and Puigdemont would almost certainly win the vote.

Their decision to stick with Puigdemont suggests they will continue to push for secession, giving the national government in Madrid no reason to end the direct control that it imposed to block the independence drive.

"Today's session has been postponed, but under no circumstance cancelled ... another candidate will not be presented," Torrent said during a snap news conference.

The Constitutional Court said on Saturday that Puigdemont could not be elected unless he was physically present in the parliament, with a judge's permission to attend.

If he returns to Spain, Puigdemont faces the prospect of arrest for leading an illegal independence bid. He has said he can lead Catalonia from abroad, and on Monday ruled out seeking a judge's permission to attend the parliament in person.

Puigdemont fled to Brussels following an illegal referendum on independence on Oct. 1. The Catalan parliament issued a declaration of independence, also ruled illegal, on Oct. 27.

Various regional cabinet members are in jail awaiting trial on charges of sedition, rebellion and misappropriation of funds for their role in organising the vote and the independence declaration.</s>MADRID, Jan 30 (Reuters) - The Catalan parliament speaker said the vote for a new regional head, planned for Tuesday, had been postponed but insisted that self-exiled, former leader Carles Puigdemont was the only viable candidate to lead Catalonia.

"Today's session has been postponed, but under no circumstance cancelled ... another candidate will not be presented," Roger Torrent said on Tuesday in a press conference.

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy reiterated on Tuesday that Puigdemont could not be a candidate as he was in exile in Brussels after a warrant for his arrest was ordered after he made an illegal declaration of independence end-October. (Reporting by Paul Day; Editing by Jesus Aguado)</s>Speaker says ex-president is only candidate to form government despite Spanish state’s warnings

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The speaker of the Catalan parliament has postponed a session to invest Carles Puigdemont as president but insisted the deposed former leader remains the only legitimate candidate to form a government after pro-independence parties retained their majority in December’s snap elections.

Despite blunt warnings from the Spanish government that it will not allow Puigdemont to return to office after he fled to Belgium following last October’s unilateral declaration of independence, Roger Torrent said the investiture of a new president was a matter for the regional parliament alone.

“We don’t accept anyone telling us that the Catalans have voted incorrectly because we didn’t do what they wanted,” the pro-independence speaker said on Tuesday morning, hours before regional MPs were due to choose a president.



“Neither the [Spanish government] nor the constitutional court decides who will be president; that’s for the democratically elected members of parliament to decide.”

The defiant stance came three days after Spain’s constitutional court ruled that Puigdemont, who remains in self-imposed exile in Brussels, could not take part in an investiture debate via video conference or by getting one of his MPs to read a speech in his place.

The court’s judges said the session would be suspended unless Puigdemont attended parliament with prior judicial authorisation and rejected appeals from Puigdemont’s party.

Torrent said: “I am not proposing any other candidate apart from Puigdemont.”



Announcing that he was adjourning the session, he said: “It will be held when we can hold an effective investiture, without interference and with guarantees.”



The speaker said he would personally guarantee Puigdemont’s immunity and that of other MPs. “I will do whatever it takes to defend democracy because it cannot be suspended,” he said.

“The will of the Catalan people expressed at the ballot box is a mandate and this mandate cannot be suspended. Parliament represents the will of all the Catalan people and for this reason, it and the Catalan people deserve respect.”

Thousands of pro-independence protesters gathered outside the parliament building on Tuesday afternoon to show their support for Puigdemont.

Shortly before Torrent’s address, Spain’s prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, said any attempt to invest Puigdemont remotely would constitute a clear violation of the constitutional court’s ruling. He urged Catalan MPs to obey the law and choose another candidate.

“The speaker and those who support him need to be very aware of the consequences they could face,” Rajoy said in an interview with the state broadcaster.

Referring to Puigdemont, who faces arrest on possible charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds the moment he sets foot in Spain, Rajoy continued: “You can’t be a fugitive from justice, live in Brussels and try to get yourself elected president of a democratic institution … The most prudent thing would be for the speaker of the parliament to put forward a clean candidate.”

On Sunday, one pro-independence MP suggested the ousted president could step aside to allow someone else to take office.

Joan Tardà of the Catalan Republican Left party told the newspaper La Vanguardia: “What’s essential is that we have a government. If we have to sacrifice President Puigdemont, we’ll have to sacrifice him.”

Puigdemont has been in Brussels since the Spanish government responded to the unilateral independence declaration by sacking his administration, taking direct control of of Catalonia and calling an election.</s>The Catalan parliament speaker said the vote for a new regional head, planned for Tuesday, had been postponed, Reuters said. Roger Torrent insisted on Tuesday that self-exiled former leader Carles Puigdemont was the only viable candidate to lead Catalonia. “Another candidate will not be presented,” the speaker said. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy reiterated on Tuesday that Puigdemont could not be a candidate as he was in exile in Brussels. A warrant for his arrest was ordered after he made an illegal declaration of independence at the end of October.</s>MADRID (Reuters) - Catalan lawmakers are scheduled to choose a president for Spain’s wealthiest region on Tuesday in an unlikely setting. The official candidate, Carles Puigdemont, has fled abroad and the central government in Madrid is trying to block his election.

Catalonia has been ruled by Madrid for the past three months since Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy dismissed Puigdemont following a unilateral declaration of independence by the regional parliament in October.

Thousands of firms have moved their legal headquarters to elsewhere in Spain over the uncertainty in Catalonia, where separatists won a majority of seats in a December election but not a majority of votes, in a sign of how divided the region is.

Here is a look at possible scenarios:

* PUIGDEMONT IS ELECTED AND RULES CATALONIA: UNLIKELY

In theory, that should have been easy. The Dec. 21 regional election called by Rajoy in a bid to weaken the independence drive backfired and gave nationalists an absolute majority.

But Puigdemont is the subject of an arrest warrant for leading the secession bid. He is now in Brussels and faces arrest the minute he steps foot in Spain.

Puigdemont and his allies have suggested electing Puigdemont and having him rule via proxy or by videolink from Belgium.

But the constitutional court ruled out such an option and said Puigdemont had to attend in person the swearing-in session to become regional leader. Catalonia’s parliament’s own legal advisers said being elected remotely would break the law.

* PARLIAMENT ELECTS PUIGDEMONT AND HE CANNOT RULE: POSSIBLE

That depends on whether separatists will seek to defy the constitutional court ruling and elect Puigdemont remotely.

With three separatists in jail, others freed on bail and five in self-imposed exile to avoid arrest, the context is different from what it was when Catalonia unilaterally declared independence in October.

The ERC (Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya) party has suggested it could seek an alternative candidate in order to avoid a legal battle with the government. Madrid has already said it would keep direct rule in place if pro-independence parties tried to swear in Puigdemont from Brussels.

* PARLIAMENT ELECTS ANOTHER CANDIDATE: MORE LIKELY

Separatists won 70 seats out of 135 in December when opinion polls had shown they were likely to lose their absolute majority in the chamber. That was two seats fewer than in the previous assembly.

So they would not necessarily have much interest in a complete stalemate that would eventually end up in new elections. That has shown in the more conciliatory tone of the parliament’s new speaker, Roger Torrent, who spoke of the need for unity in his inauguration speech.

There is no other obvious candidate because ERC’s leader, Oriol Junqueras, is in jail. But the Catalan parliament would have two months to agree on a candidate.

In that scenario, tensions would ease and that could eventually allow the jailed separatists to be freed. Puigdemont could continue to play a role from Brussels and may eventually be allowed back without risking jail.

Analysts and politicians alike agree that even in that case there would still be much to do to bridge the gap between those who back and oppose the independence. Rajoy should seek to woo the more moderate nationalist voters by offering more powers to Catalonia within Spain, analysts say.

* DO NOT RULE OUT THE UNEXPECTED

If one thing is certain with the Catalonia crisis, it is the likelihood of last minute changes and unexpected moves.

Whether with the independence referendum (banned but which took place anyway), the declaration of independence that followed (made and then suspended), or Puigdemont’s sudden appearance in Brussels, separatists have shown a knack for the 11th hour move.</s>MADRID (Reuters) - The Catalan parliament speaker said the vote for a new regional head, planned for Tuesday, had been postponed but insisted that self-exiled, former leader Carles Puigdemont was the only viable candidate to lead Catalonia.

“Today’s session has been postponed, but under no circumstance cancelled ... another candidate will not be presented,” Roger Torrent said on Tuesday in a press conference.

Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy reiterated on Tuesday that Puigdemont could not be a candidate as he was in exile in Brussels after a warrant for his arrest was ordered after he made an illegal declaration of independence end-October.</s>MADRID: Catalonia on Tuesday postponed the election of a new regional president until further notice after Spain's highest court said the sole nominee, separatist leader Carles Puigdemont, was ineligible while he remains a fugitive from justice in Belgium.

Catalonia's independence drive has sparked clashes with the Spanish government and judiciary, which say that any vote or move toward secession from Spain is unconstitutional.

The speaker of the house, Roger Torrent, gave no reason for the postponement but said he would not nominate an alternative candidate. Separatists have a majority in the regional assembly and Puigdemont would almost certainly win the vote.

Their decision to stick with Puigdemont suggests they will continue to push for secession, giving the national government in Madrid no reason to end the direct control that it imposed to block the independence drive.

"Today's session has been postponed, but under no circumstance cancelled ... another candidate will not be presented," Torrent said during a snap news conference.

The Constitutional Court said on Saturday that Puigdemont could not be elected unless he was physically present in the parliament, with a judge's permission to attend.

If he returns to Spain, Puigdemont faces the prospect of arrest for leading an illegal independence bid. He has said he can lead Catalonia from abroad, and on Monday ruled out seeking a judge's permission to attend the parliament in person.

Puigdemont fled to Brussels following an illegal referendum on independence on Oct. 1. The Catalan parliament issued a declaration of independence, also ruled illegal, on Oct. 27.

Various regional cabinet members are in jail awaiting trial on charges of sedition, rebellion and misappropriation of funds for their role in organising the vote and the independence declaration.</s>Catalan lawmakers are scheduled to vote Tuesday on a bid by Catalonia's ousted separatist leader Carles Puigdemont to form a new government, setting the stage for a fresh showdown with Spain's central government which removed him from office.

Puigdemont moved to Belgium shortly after Catalonia's parliament declared independence in October and he faces arrest if he returns to Spain for leading the secession bid in the wealthy northwestern region that is home to some 7.5 million people.

But last week the new speaker of the Catalan parliament nominated Puigdemont to lead Catalonia again, with the regional assembly set to begin debating on his candidacy at 3.00 pm (1400 GMT) under tight security.

Puigdemont's supporters have been encouraged to demonstrate outside of the assembly at that time, bearing paper masks with a likeness of his face which could be downloaded off the internet.

The Catalan parliament speaker maintained the session of parliament even though Spain's Constitutional Court ruled on Saturday -- in response to a lawsuit filed by the central government -- that Puigdemont must be present at the assembly to be chosen as the region's chief.

The court also warned that swearing in Puigdemont at a distance, by videoconference as some of his supporters have proposed, would not be valid.

And it ruled Puigdemont must ask a Supreme Court judge leading the investigation into his role in Catalonia's independence push for permission to attend the parliamentary session.

Puigdemont appealed the ruling and the Constitutional Court will begin considering his arguments on Tuesday at 1.00 pm (1200 GMT), just before the investiture debate in the Catalan parliament begins.

The parliament debate comes three months after the assembly's failed declaration of independence on October 27, which deeply divided Catalans and triggered Spain's worst political crisis since the country returned to democracy following the death of longtime dictator Francisco Franco in 1975.

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy moved to stop the crisis by imposing direct rule on the semi-autonomous region, sacking its government including Puigdemont, dissolving parliament and calling snap elections.

But in a major setback for the central government, separatist parties once again won a majority of 70 seats in the 135-seat parliament in the December polls.

While separatist parties won less than half the vote, 47.5 percent, they benefited from electoral rules which give greater weight to rural areas, where support for independence is higher.

Separatists argue Puigdemont was given a democratic mandate for the independence declaration during a contested referendum, which the courts and the central government declared illegal, and want to see him reinstated. But Madrid remains fiercely opposed to his return to power.

"A fugitive, a man who tried to unilaterally liquidate national sovereignty, can't be president of anything," Rajoy told Cope radio station on Monday after the court's ruling.

Catalan parliamentary speaker Roger Torrent could decide at the last minute to put off the session of parliament to form a new government.

But under Catalonia's electoral law, it must be held at the latest ten days after the assembly opened a new session -- meaning it has to happen by Wednesday.

If Puigdemont is absent, Torrent could risk criminal charges and disobey the court by trying to swear in the former leader again remotely.

He could also open the session of parliament and then announce that a new candidate needed to be picked since it is not possible to go ahead with Puigdemont's investiture from abroad.

A top lawmaker with the separatist Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (ERC) party, Joan Tarda, said over the weekend it may be time to "sacrifice" Puigdemont although there is no obvious alternative choice. A stalemate over another candidate could eventually end up in new elections.
The Speaker of the Parliament of Catalonia delays the session of investiture of Carles Puigdemont after the suspension by the Constitutional Court of the telematic investiture. Roger Torrent insists that Puigdemont is the only candidate, disobeying the decision of the high court.