"Roger Torrent is elected the president of the Catalan parliament of the twelfth term," the parliament said in a tweet.
Roger Torrent needs to choose a candidate to try to form a government by the end of the January. Parliament has to elect a new regional government by the end of the month.
Carles Puigdemont would have to get approval from Roger Torrent's committee to vote and be elected from abroad. The former head of Catalonia Carles Puigdemont fled to Belgium with four of his cabinet members.
Catalan Parlament has a new President. Democratic, and duly elected.
— Brian MacIver (@Palayo) January 17, 2018
Roger Torrent.
READ MORE: Catalonia to Remain Under Madrid's Control Until New Gov't Appointed — Rajoy
The Spanish prosecutor's office accuses Puigdemont in insurgency and embezzlement. The court issued a warrant for his arrest in case he returned to the country. The former leader of Catalonia can try to become the head of the autonomy remotely by video link or with the help of a representative. The Spanish government has assured that it will appeal to the court any violations when assuming the post of head of the autonomy.
Early parliamentary elections were held on December 21, most of the seats in the parliament were received by parties that favored the independence of the region from Spain.
In October, the Spanish government applied 155 article of the Spanish Constitution, which provides a number of restrictions on the autonomy of Catalonia up to early regional elections. On October 27, the Parliament of Catalonia was dissolved.
