"I am ready to be a candidate… it's possible to run a campaign from anywhere," Puigdemont said to Belgian state television RTBF, adding that he considers himself a legitimate leader of Catalonia. He also said that the snap election will not "be neutral, independent, normal," if the Catalan leadership is in jail.
The Spanish authorities have set December 21 as a date for a snap election after the Catalan leadership had unilaterally declared independence.
Some nine Catalan officials were put in custody in Spain on Thursday in connection with the ongoing investigation into the referendum events. However, one of them, Santi Vila, was freed on bail on Friday.
READ MORE: Spain's Court Reportedly Annuls Documents That Underlay Catalan Referendum
Also on Thursday, thousands of people across Catalonia took to the streets to protest against the detention of the Catalan leaders.
Spain has been in turmoil since the October 1 referendum in Catalonia, in which more than 90 percent of voters backed independence from Spain. Madrid has called the vote illegal.
