Catalonia postponed the election of a new regional president on Tuesday 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 central government in Madrid and the judiciary, which say a declaration of independence is against the country's 39-year-old constitution.

Puigdemont, speaking in a recorded message from Belgium posted on social networks late on Tuesday, said he was disappointed at the postponed vote and said he was the only possible candidate for regional president.

"No other candidate is possible," he said.

Earlier, hundreds of pro-independence protesters broke through a police cordon and climbed over a fence to reach the grounds of the regional parliament in Barcelona chanting "Puigdemont, our president" and "Where are the politicians we voted for?", many wearing Puigdemont masks.

A referendum on secession in October last year was ruled illegal by the Constitutional Court. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy fired the region's administration when it declared independence, and five cabinet members including Puigdemont fled to Belgium.

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

Court rulings have hampered Puigdemont's efforts to return to power since pro-independence parties won a slim majority in a December regional election.

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

These conditions make it hard for Puigdemont to stand, as he is likely to be arrested and tried on charges including sedition and rebellion if he returns to Spain. They carry a potential prison sentence of decades.

Police on Tuesday searched border crossings and the entrance to the parliament itself to ensure the former leader did not return to Barcelona, the Catalan capital.

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.

Pro-independence parties would not nominate an alternative candidate, the regional parliament speaker said on Tuesday. The separatists' majority in the regional assembly mean 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.</s>The ousted Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, has admitted privately that his attempt to secure regional independence is over and claims he has been sacrificed by his own side, according to messages sent to a colleague and captured by TV cameras.



On Wednesday, a Spanish TV show published messages that Puigdemont had sent to his former health minister Toni Comín while the latter was at an event in Leuven, Belgium, the previous evening.

Profile Who is Carles Puigdemont? Show Hide In a little over a decade, Carles Puigdemont has gone from obscurity to becoming the Spanish government’s bête noire and the pubic face of the Catalan independence movement.

A staunch and long-standing independence campaigner who has been the regional president of Catalonia since January 2016, Puigdemont was born to a family of bakers in the Catalan province of Girona in 1962. He studied Catalan philology at university before becoming a journalist on the Girona-based daily El Punt and helping to launch Catalonia Today, an English-language paper. He was elected in 2006 to the Catalan parliament as an MP for the Convergence and Union party representing the Girona region and five years later became the mayor of Girona. Puigdemont found himself thrust into the Catalan presidency in January 2016 after his predecessor, Artur Mas, stepped aside to facilitate the formation of a pro-independence coalition government.

Sent using the Signal messaging app and written in Catalan, the texts were caught by a TV camera behind Comín and aired by Telecinco’s Ana Rosa programme.



They mention “the last days of republican Catalonia�? and suggest the deposed leader is preparing to abandon his attempt to return to office.

“I guess you’ve realised that this is over,�? reads one. “Our people have sacrificed us. Or at least me.�? It goes on to refer to the pro-independence Catalan MP Joan Tardà, who suggested at the weekend that Puigdemont could step aside to allow another candidate to become president: “You will be ministers (I hope and wish) but I’ve already been sacrificed just like Tardà said.�?

Another says “The [Spanish government’s] plan has won,�? before expressing the hope that the victory will lead to the release of the four Catalan leaders in prison.

The texts were sent around the same time that Puigdemont issued a defiant message on social media, calling for unity and saying he intended to return to the presidency after last December’s election, in which pro-independence parties held on to their majority in the regional parliament.

Appearing in a video hours after the speaker of the Catalan parliament postponed a debate on the presidential investiture, in which Puigdemont was the only candidate, the former leader said he was intent on resuming office.



He confirmed on Wednesday morning that he had sent the messages, but insisted he was still the best candidate to represent the Catalan people.



“I am a journalist and I have always understood that there are limits, such as privacy, which should never be violated,�? he wrote on Twitter. “I am human and I, too, have moments of doubt. I am also the president and I will not fold or back away out of respect for the gratitude I feel towards – and the commitment I have – to the citizens and the nation. Onwards!�?

Timeline Eight key moments in the Catalan independence campaign Show Hide Spain’s constitutional court strikes down parts of a 2006 charter on Catalan autonomy that had originally increased the region’s fiscal and judicial powers and described it as a “nation�?. The court rules that using the word “nation�? has no legal value and also rejects the “preferential�? use of Catalan over Spanish in municipal services. Almost two weeks later, hundreds of thousands protest on the streets of Barcelona, chanting “We are a nation! We decide!�? At the height of Spain’s economic crisis, more than a million people protest in Barcelona on Catalonia’s national day, demanding independence in what will become a peaceful, annual show of strength. The pro-independence government of Artur Mas defies the Madrid government and Spain’s constitutional court by holding a symbolic vote on independence. Turnout is just 37%, but more than 80% of those who voted - 1.8 million people - vote in favour of Catalan sovereignty. Carles Puigdemont, who has replaced Mas as regional president, announces an independence referendum will be held on 1 October. Spain’s central government says it will block the referendum using all the legal and political means at its disposal. The Catalan parliament approves referendum legislation after a heated, 11-hour session that sees 52 opposition MPs walk out of the chamber in Barcelona in protest at the move. Spain’s constitutional court suspends the legislation the following day, but the Catalan government vows to press ahead with the vote. Police arrest 14 Catalan government officials suspected of organising the referendum and announce they have seized nearly 10 million ballots destined for the vote. Some 40,000 people protest against the police crackdown in Barcelona and Puigdemont accuses the Spanish government of effectively suspending regional autonomy and declaring a de facto state of emergency. Close to 900 people are injured as police attempt to stop the referendum from taking place. The Catalan government says 90% voted for independence on a turnout of 43%. Spanish government takes control of Catalonia and dissolves its parliament after secessionist Catalan MPs voted to establish an independent republic. Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, fires regional president, Carles Puigdemont, and orders regional elections to be held on 21 December.

A spokesman for Puigdemont’s Catalan European Democratic party declined to comment on the messages, saying: “We don’t send out WhatsApp [sic] messages, we send out official messages like the one Puigdemont sent last night. That’s what’s important to us.�?



Comín’s lawyer told the Catalan radio station RAC1 that while he did “not deny the veracity�? of the leaked messages, they had been obtained “in an illegal manner�? and would result in legal action against Telecinco.

Catalonia has been under the direct control of the Spanish government since the end of October, when the prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, responded to the Catalan parliament’s unilateral declaration of independence by sacking Puigdemont and calling fresh elections. Puigdemont fled to Brussels shortly afterwards and faces arrest on possible charges of rebellion, sedition and misuses of public funds if he returns to Spain.</s>BARCELONA, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Catalonia postponed the election of a new regional president on Tuesday 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 central government in Madrid and the judiciary, which say a declaration of independence is against the country's 39-year-old constitution.

Puigdemont, speaking in a recorded message from Belgium posted on social networks late on Tuesday, said he was disappointed at the postponed vote and said he was the only possible candidate for regional president.

"No other candidate is possible," he said.

Earlier, hundreds of pro-independence protesters broke through a police cordon and climbed over a fence to reach the grounds of the regional parliament in Barcelona chanting "Puigdemont, our president" and "Where are the politicians we voted for?", many wearing Puigdemont masks.

A referendum on secession last October was ruled illegal by the Constitutional Court. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy fired the region's administration when it declared independence, and five cabinet members including Puigdemont fled to Belgium.

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

Court rulings have hampered Puigdemont's efforts to return to power since pro-independence parties won a slim majority in a December regional election.

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

These conditions make it hard for Puigdemont to stand, as he is likely to be arrested and tried on charges including sedition and rebellion if he returns to Spain. They carry a potential prison sentence of decades.

Police on Tuesday searched border crossings and the entrance to the parliament itself to ensure the former leader did not return to Barcelona, the Catalan capital.

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.

Pro-independence parties would not nominate an alternative candidate, the regional parliament speaker said on Tuesday. The separatists' majority in the regional assembly mean 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. (Additional reporting by Paul Day; Writing by Sonya Dowsett; Editing by Julien Toyer and Gareth Jones)</s>BARCELONA (Reuters) - Catalonia postponed the election of a new regional president on Tuesday 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 central government in Madrid and the judiciary, which say a declaration of independence is against the country’s 39-year-old constitution.

Puigdemont, speaking in a recorded message from Belgium posted on social networks late on Tuesday, said he was disappointed at the postponed vote and said he was the only possible candidate for regional president.

“No other candidate is possible,” he said.

Earlier, hundreds of pro-independence protesters broke through a police cordon and climbed over a fence to reach the grounds of the regional parliament in Barcelona chanting “Puigdemont, our president” and “Where are the politicians we voted for?”, many wearing Puigdemont masks.

A referendum on secession last October was ruled illegal by the Constitutional Court. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy fired the region’s administration when it declared independence, and five cabinet members including Puigdemont fled to Belgium.

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

Court rulings have hampered Puigdemont’s efforts to return to power since pro-independence parties won a slim majority in a December regional election.

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

These conditions make it hard for Puigdemont to stand, as he is likely to be arrested and tried on charges including sedition and rebellion if he returns to Spain. They carry a potential prison sentence of decades.

Police on Tuesday searched border crossings and the entrance to the parliament itself to ensure the former leader did not return to Barcelona, the Catalan capital.

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.

Pro-independence parties would not nominate an alternative candidate, the regional parliament speaker said on Tuesday. The separatists’ majority in the regional assembly mean 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.</s>BARCELONA (Reuters) - Catalonia postponed the election of a new regional president on Tuesday 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 central government in Madrid and the judiciary, which say a declaration of independence is against the country’s 39-year-old constitution.

Puigdemont, speaking in a recorded message from Belgium posted on social networks late on Tuesday, said he was disappointed at the postponed vote and said he was the only possible candidate for regional president.

“No other candidate is possible,” he said.

Earlier, hundreds of pro-independence protesters broke through a police cordon and climbed over a fence to reach the grounds of the regional parliament in Barcelona chanting “Puigdemont, our president” and “Where are the politicians we voted for?”, many wearing Puigdemont masks.

A referendum on secession last October was ruled illegal by the Constitutional Court. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy fired the region’s administration when it declared independence, and five cabinet members including Puigdemont fled to Belgium.

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

Court rulings have hampered Puigdemont’s efforts to return to power since pro-independence parties won a slim majority in a December regional election.

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

These conditions make it hard for Puigdemont to stand, as he is likely to be arrested and tried on charges including sedition and rebellion if he returns to Spain. They carry a potential prison sentence of decades.

Police on Tuesday searched border crossings and the entrance to the parliament itself to ensure the former leader did not return to Barcelona, the Catalan capital.

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.

Pro-independence parties would not nominate an alternative candidate, the regional parliament speaker said on Tuesday. The separatists’ majority in the regional assembly mean 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.</s>Catalonia's independence crisis captured the world's attention when a banned independence referendum in October 2017 was met with a massive police crackdown.

But the separatist drive has been years in the making. Here are the key dates in the push for independence in Spain's wealthy northeastern region:

In March 2006 the Spanish parliament approves a new statute strengthening Catalonia's autonomy by increasing its fiscal and judicial powers, also describing the region as a "nation".

But in 2010, after an appeal from Spain's conservative Popular Party (PP) -- then in opposition, now in power -- the Constitutional Court rules that the use of the word "nation" has "no legal value".

It also rejects a reference to Catalan as the "preferred language".

In September 2012, on Catalonia's "national day", more than one million people demonstrate in Barcelona to call for their region to become a new state. This comes in the context of a severe financial crisis affecting the whole of Spain.

Several days later Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, whose PP party has since come to power, refuses to negotiate greater budgetary autonomy with Catalan regional president Artur Mas.

In November 2014 Catalonia defies Madrid and presses ahead with a symbolic, non-binding referendum on independence. Turnout is just 37 percent, of which over 80 percent vote in favour.

In September 2015 pro-independence parties win an absolute majority in the regional assembly. In November all pro-independence lawmakers vote to start the process to secede, but the resolution is struck down by the Constitutional Court.

In January 2016 separatist Carles Puigdemont becomes the region's president.

Puigdemont announces in June a self-determination referendum for October but the Constitutional Court bans the vote.

As polling day approaches, Catalan officials are arrested, voting papers confiscated and large pro-independence demonstrations organised.

On the day of the referendum, October 1, security forces intervene, seizing ballot boxes in at least 100 polling stations. Images of police violence beam around the world.

Turnout is about 43 percent, of which 90 percent back independence, according to Catalan authorities.

Rajoy dismisses the referendum and King Felipe VI sternly denounces the independence bid, throwing his weight behind the national authorities' efforts to "ensure constitutional order".

Catalan lawmakers vote on October 27 to declare independence from Spain.

Madrid suspends the regional autonomy, ousts Puigdemont's separatist executive, dissolves parliament and calls regional elections for the end of the year.

On December 21 -- with three separatist candidates for election in prison and five others, including Puigdemont, in self-imposed exile in Belgium -- pro-independence parties win an absolute majority in the new regional elections.

On January 22 Puigdemont is chosen as a candidate to lead Catalonia again, but Spain goes to the Constitutional Court to try and prevent him making a comeback.

The court rules he has to be physically present at a parliamentary session planned for January 30 to get him formerly appointed.

With Puigdemont still in Belgium, the session is postponed at the last minute, plunging the region into further uncertainty.</s>(CNN) Carles Puigdemont, the former leader of Spain's restive Catalonia region, appears ready to give up his attempt to return to power.

According to text messages caught by a TV camera, Puigdemont conceded that his efforts had failed and accused his own side of giving up on him.

"It's over," Puigdemont is alleged to have told an adviser. Madrid "has won," he wrote in the messages, broadcast by journalist Ana Rosa Quintana on her TV show Wednesday.

After elections last month, Puigdemont was the only candidate nominated to lead Catalonia's new government. The trouble is, he is in self-imposed exile in Belgium, unable to set foot in his own country without being arrested for his part in holding last year's banned referendum on independence from Spain.

On Tuesday, the speaker of the Catalan parliament, Roger Torrent unexpectedly suspended a session in which MPs were expected to confirm Puigdemont as President. Ostensibly, the decision was taken in order to secure guarantees from Madrid that the vote would be respected. The Spanish government has previously said that it will not allow Puigdemont to return to power.

A banner reads "Independence now!" at a rally on September 11, 2017, in Barcelona during National Day celebrations.

Torrent insisted that Puigdemont still had the support of the pro-independence parties that hold a slim majority in the Catalan parliament. But Puigdemont appeared unconvinced.

'This has come to an end'

According to Telecinco's Ana Rosa show, the messages were written in Catalan and sent via the Signal messaging app to his former health minister, Toni Comin.

This what Puigdemont's messages allegedly said:

"I am a human being and there are times when I also have doubts. I am also the President and I will neither shrink nor step back as a matter of respect, thankfulness and compromise with our citizens and the country. We go on!" he wrote.

He also criticized the violation of his privacy.

In his public reaction to the decision of the Catalan parliament to suspend the vote, Puigdemont appeared flustered and defensive. In remarks via teleconference Tuesday, he appeared to have no prior knowledge of the suspension, signaling a major breakdown in the pro-independence alliance.

"We believe that democracy cannot be postponed or suspended," he said, according to Spain's El Pais, adding that his intentions remained "intact."

"There is no other candidate or other possible arithmetic combination," he said, adding Madrid could not dictate who became president.

If Puigdemont loses support from pro-independence MPs, his bid for power would be over.

His spokesman, Joan Maria Piqué, denied Puigdemont was considering withdrawing his candidacy, explaining that he had come under increased pressure and that he had "a bad moment."

The national government in Madrid has been involved in a protracted game of chicken with the regional administration in Barcelona since Puigdemont's government defied a Constitutional Court ruling and went ahead with a referendum on independence on October 1 last year.

Catalonia has now been without a president since late October. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has repeatedly called on parliament to forget Puigdemont and choose a "clean candidate."

The Spanish government has sought Puigdemont's arrest after the Catalan parliament declared unilateral independence in late October. The state prosecutor accuses him of sedition, rebellion and misuse of funds. He could face decades in prison if charged and convicted.

Several others have already been jailed in Madrid, awaiting trial on the same charges. Their supporters consider them political prisoners.

The might of Madrid

Madrid has used every legal tool in the box to keep Puigdemont from office, and it now appears to have the upper hand in the standoff.

The Spanish government has imposed direct rule in Catalonia, taking control of the autonomous region's public institutions. Rajoy recently threatened to extend direct rule should parliament choose Puigdemont as its leader-at-large.

It has also lodged an application to the Constitutional Court to rule that a leader cannot govern from abroad. If the court even accepts this application, the process to vote for a president will be again suspended, prolonging the already lengthy political crisis.

The issue of independence has been deeply divisive in Catalonia and little appears to have shifted in public opinion since the October 1 referendum.

As the region has not been allowed a legal referendum on the issue, the December vote was seen as an informal plebiscite on independence.

An anti-independence party, Citizens, won the largest number of seats, but it did not have near enough allies to form government.

The three pro-independence parties took power in parliament with a slim majority of seats, but they gained less than 50% of the popular vote, suggesting that most Catalans do not necessarily support independence.</s>Catalonia at an impasse: what next?

People celebrate after the Catalan regional parliament passes the vote of independence from Spain in Barcelona, Spain October 27, 2017. — Reuters picBARCELONA, Feb 1 — Ousted president Carles Puigdemont, in self-exile in Belgium, had hoped to be re-appointed as Catalan leader this week but the region’s parliamentary speaker Roger Torrent postponed a vote to formally sweep him back into office.

Torrent insisted Puigdemont was still the candidate after separatist parties maintained their absolute majority in December regional polls, led by the separatist leader’s grouping.

But he faces arrest as soon as he steps back into Spain over his role in the failed independence bid, and Madrid has vowed to block his return.

Meanwhile, the separatist camp is in disarray over Torrent’s decision to delay the vote and Puigdemont’s resolve appears to be foundering.

So what next?

How long can impasse last?

Under electoral rules, the Catalan parliament had until Wednesday this week to hold its first session at which lawmakers would re-appoint Puigdemont, the only candidate for the presidency.

And if they failed to agree on him or pick a new president in the following two months, new elections would be called.

But that countdown has been put on hold as Torrent waits for the Constitutional Court to decide whether to examine Madrid’s request to block Puigdemont from being re-appointed — a decision due in the coming weeks.

If the court rejects it, the countdown will start over.

If it accepts it, the situation could remain paralysed for months as the court examines the issue in depth and decides whether or not to block his candidacy.

During that time, Catalonia would continue under the control of the central government, which imposed direct rule on the wealthy semi-autonomous region on October 27 after the Catalan parliament declared independence.

Catalonia’s president from January 2016 to October last year, when he was sacked by Madrid, Puigdemont maintains that he is the only candidate to lead the region again.

Torrent’s decision to delay his appointment severely deepened divisions within the separatist camp.

Torrent is a member of the separatist ERC party, an ally of Puigdemont’s Together for Catalonia grouping.

Puigdemont and his grouping want to breach Catalan parliamentary rules by having lawmakers re-appoint him even in absentia, a move that Madrid fiercely opposes.

But ERC would rather avoid another frontal clash with Madrid and form an operational regional government that would lead to the lifting of direct rule.

“It was going to generate chaos and wasn’t going to go anywhere,” an ERC source who requested anonymity told AFP, justifying the delay of Puigdemont’s appointment.

“We can’t be swept along by those in Belgium, we need to stop and look at how we can have a government for real.”

But even if separatist parties end up reaching a deal, that would not be the end of Puigdemont’s problems.

If he comes back to Spain, he faces arrest and jail. Any attempt to be re-appointed by video link from Belgium will be contested by Madrid and probably suspended by the courts.

And the clock is also ticking for him.

If the probe into separatist leaders for rebellion and sedition goes to trial, those charged — including Puigdemont — could be barred from office as a precautionary measure.

The central government and anti-independence parties in Catalonia are increasingly calling for an alternative candidate to be considered to lead the region.

“Torrent must open a round of talks (with parties) to save the situation generated by Mr. Puigdemont,” Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said Wednesday.

Puigdemont himself appeared to be throwing in the towel on Tuesday, according to private mobile phone messages caught on camera by a Spanish television reporter.

In these, he considers that he has reached the end of the road having been “sacrificed” by his peers.

Puigdemont has not denied he sent those messages, but insists he is still the candidate.

No separatist party is publicly proposing to ditch him but many alternative candidates are appearing in the press.

Ultimately, until the Constitutional Court makes its decision as to whether to examine Madrid’s request to block Puigdemont, the ball is in Torrent’s court.

He could decide to keep him as candidate and hold the parliamentary vote to re-appoint him, or nominate another candidate. — AFP</s>A screenshot of alleged messages between Puigdemont and Comín broadcast by Telecinco on Wednesday.

Spain's Telecinco television channel revealed Wednesday a series of mobile phone messages written by sacked Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont to another separatist, in which he says it's likely all over for him.

The revelations, which Puigdemont did not deny, came as the Spanish government urged the Catalan parliament to pick another candidate to head up the region instead of the separatist leader, who is in self-exile in Belgium and faces arrest if he returns.

A Telecinco reporter caught on camera the phone of Toni Comin, a former Catalan minister who like Puigdemont is in self-exile in Belgium after the failed independence bid, while he was looking at messages sent to him by the separatist leader.

This reportedly happened on Tuesday evening, just hours after the Catalan parliament's speaker postponed a crunch vote to reappoint Puigdemont as Catalan leader, drawing an outcry among separatist ranks but welcome by Madrid and anti-independence parties.

The messages reportedly sent on the ultra secure messaging service Signal see Puigdemont considering it is over for him and that he has been "sacrificed" by his peers.

He also says this was all the fruit of a "plan" by Spain's central government.

In the messages, he hints that Madrid may have agreed to push for the release of separatist leaders currently in jail in Spain for their independence drive in exchange for dropping Puigdemont.

Reacting to the news on Twitter, Puigdemont did not deny he had sent the messages but denounced the privacy violation.

"I'm human and there are times when I also have doubts," he said, adding he would not back down in his bid to lead Catalonia again, contradicting the messages he sent in private.

Spain's Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, however, asked the parliamentary speaker to open a "fresh round of talks" to get another candidate.

"I can't believe that among the over one hundred lawmakers in the assembly there is nobody who can recover the path of dialogue and consensus," she said.

Puigdemont's messages were apparently sent around the same time as he released a video in which he called for unity among the separatist camp and insisted only he could lead Catalonia.

He says he has the mandate to return as Catalan president from regional elections on December 21st which saw separatist parties retain their majority, led by his grouping.

Comin's lawyer will sue Telecinco for violating his privacy.</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)
Private messages between former President of the Generalitat of Catalonia Carles Puigdemont and Antoni Comín, the exiled regional minister of Health, come to light, in which the former President confesses that the secession procedure "is over", opening, once again, tensions between the pro-independence political parties and more confusion about the future of Catalonia.