Catalonia's parliament met on Wednesday in a first step towards forming a new government dominated by the question of whether sacked former leader Carles Puigdemont can return as president and continue his push for independence from Spain. Puigdemont, who led the region’s push for secession from Spain, fled to Brussels in October after the Catalan parliament made a unilateral declaration of independence, prompting Rajoy to sack the regional government, take control of Catalonia and call fresh elections. The two secessionist parties back the candidacy of Mr Puigdemont, but the former president would first have to get approval from Mr Torrent’s committee to vote and be elected from abroad. Elsa Artadi, spokeswoman for Mr Puigdemont’s Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia), said the separatists were “working to explore all the tools in the parliament’s rules to see what will be the formula”. Here is a look at what lies ahead for Catalonia, a region which has been ruled by Madrid for the past three months after it held an illegal independence referendum:

Carles Puigdemont, the 55-year old ex-Catalonia chief sacked by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy for his role in organising the Oct. 1 independence referendum, is the separatists’ candidate to rule Catalonia.
The Parliament of Catalonia opens the new legislature. Roger Torrent (ERC) is named Speaker. Three parliamentarians in jail vote through proxies, the five parlementarians in exile in Belgium do not. Carles Puigdemont (PDeCAT, JuntsxCat), through his spokesman, considers it "perfectly plausible" for him to be president remotely. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy says that he will not restore Catalonia's autonomous powers if the regional parliament permits Puigdemont to lead the government from exile.