In his record­ed messag­e Puigde­mont insist­ed he was still Catalo­nia's legiti­mate leader­MADRID: Ousted Catalan president Carles Puigdemont on Saturday demanded Madrid reinstate its regional government, which was deposed after an independence referendum that Spanish courts judged illegal, as part of a political settlement. Spain issues arrest warrant for Catalan leaderPuigdemont campaigned for the region’s December 21 snap election from his Brussels exile after a Spanish court charged him with rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds. But a solid showing by pro-independence parties in the poll strengthened the hand of the secessionists, albeit they did not capture a majority of votes cast. Rajoy on Friday denounced as “absurd” any idea that Puigdemont could govern from exile and Ines Arrimadas, regional head of the anti-independence Cuidadanos party, agreed. “Mr Puigdemont believes he can be president of the Generalitat (regional executive) via internet and Whatsapp,” said Arrimadas.

Source: The Express Tribune December 31, 2017 07:30 UTC