Catalonia’s new president Quim Torra on Saturday named two former ministers, jailed by Madrid for backing independence from Spain, together with two others who fled into exile, to his regional government.

Torra appointed his government by decree but it could still be blocked by Spain, which has insisted his administration be “legal and viable” after it imposed direct rule on the region in October when the then Catalan government declared independence.

Torra named 13 “advisors” to his government, including Jordi Turull and Josep Rull who are currently being held in custody just outside Madrid.

Two others, Toni Comin and Lluis Puig, are in exile in Belgium, where they fled with deposed Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont.

Turull and Rull both accepted their nominations on Twitter.

Torra was elected by the Catalan parliament on Monday and sworn in Thursday, in a move that marks the end of nearly seven months of political limbo in the northeastern Spanish region, which has been under direct rule from Madrid since the central government deposed Puigdemont following a failed declaration of independence on October 27.

Torra, a 55-year-old editor who has long campaigned for independence, described himself as a “caretaker president” as he awaits the return of Puigdemont, whom he considers the “legitimate” leader.

Puigdemont, who first fled to Belgium, was detained in Germany in March after Spain issued a European arrest warrant against him.

Madrid wants him extradited to Spain to try him on charges of rebellion and misuse of public funds for staging an independence referendum in Catalonia on October 1 even though the courts had ruled it unconstitutional.

A German court last month dismissed the extradition request for Puigdemont on the rebellion allegations and released him on bail.

Spanish prosecutors have since handed over new information to Germany they hope will prove the use of violence, to justify the rebellion charge and their extradition request. </s> Catalonia’s new president Quim Torra on Saturday named two former ministers, jailed by Madrid for backing independence from Spain, together with two others who fled into exile, to his regional government.

Torra appointed his government by decree, but it could still be blocked by Spain, which has insisted his administration be “legal and viable” after it imposed direct rule on the region in October when the then Catalan government declared independence.

Torra — who was elected by the Catalan parliament on Monday and sworn in on Thursday — named 13 “advisors” to his government, including Jordi Turull and Josep Rull who are currently being held in custody just outside Madrid.

Two others, Toni Comin and Lluis Puig, are in exile in Belgium, where they fled with deposed Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont.

Turull and Rull both accepted their nominations on Twitter.

Torra’s appointment marks the end of nearly seven months of political limbo in the northeastern Spanish region, which has been under direct rule from Madrid since the central government deposed Puigdemont following a failed declaration of independence on October 27.

Puigdemont is currently in Berlin awaiting potential extradition to Spain, where he faces jail on charges of rebellion and misuse of public funds.

Torra, a 55-year-old editor who has long campaigned for independence and was handpicked by Puigdemont, described himself as a “caretaker president” who considers Puigdemont as the “legitimate” leader.

In a brief swearing-in ceremony on Thursday, Torra promised to “loyally fulfil the duties of the post of regional president being faithful to the will of the Catalan people represented by the Catalan parliament.”

But he did not promise to obey the Spanish Constitution nor the statute that regulates Catalonia’s autonomy.

He appeared flanked only by a Catalan flag, without the traditional Spanish flag and portrait of the king that protocol states must be present, in a small side-room of the regional government building in Barcelona.

Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis criticised the ceremony, saying it was done “on the sly”, as if Torra “were a second-rate president”.

Puigdemont, who first fled to Belgium, was detained in Germany in March after Spain issued a European arrest warrant against him.

Madrid wants him extradited to Spain to face trial on charges of rebellion and misuse of public funds for staging an independence referendum in Catalonia on October 1 even though the courts had ruled it unconstitutional.

A German court last month dismissed the extradition request for Puigdemont on the rebellion allegations and released him on bail.

Spanish prosecutors have since handed over new information to Germany they hope will prove the use of violence, to justify the rebellion charge and their extradition request. </s> Newly elected Catalonia regional president, Quim Torra, is applauded by pro-indpendence parties during an investiture debate at the regional parliament in Barcelona, Spain, May 14, 2018. REUTERS/Albert Gea

MADRID (Reuters) - The Catalan parliament elected hard-line separatist Quim Torra as regional leader on Monday, heralding an end to seven months of direct rule from Madrid but also more political uncertainty in a region that retains a mandate to seek a split from Spain.

The deeply-divided parliament voted 66 in favor, 65 against and 4 abstentions for the election of Torra, handpicked by the region’s exiled former leader Carles Puigdemont. </s> Spain's government says it is studying the "viability" of the proposal by Catalonia's separatist leader to name former lawmakers who are in jail or fugitives from justice to his new Cabinet.

Spanish government official Jose Maria Jover said in a letter to the regional Catalan government Sunday that without the central government's authorization, the four proposed Cabinet members won't be able to take their posts.

New Catalan leader Quim Torra named Jordi Turull and Josep Rull, who are both in pre-trial detention, and Antoni Comin and Lluis Puig, who are fugitives in Belgium, as proposed members of his government on Saturday.

All four were members of the previous Catalonia government and removed by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy following an illegal declaration of independence by regional lawmakers in October. </s> Torra calls himself an interim head of the Catalan government, the Generalitat, since he believes that former Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, who is facing possible extradition to Spain where he is wanted on rebellion charges, remains the true head of the cabinet.

Torra’s candidacy was backed by 66 lawmakers from Junts per Catalunya and Republican Left of Catalonia parties, while 65 lawmakers from parties advocating Spain’s territorial integrity voted against his appointment. Four representatives of the pro-independence Popular Unity Candidacy abstained.

READ MORE: Catalan Parliament Allows Regional Government Head to Be Elected in Absence

Earlier in May, Catalan lawmakers voted in favor of an amendment that would allow the regional president to be elected without his or her presence in the parliament, in a move that could return former leader Carles Puigdemont, who is in self-imposed exile, to power. </s> Quim Torra was sworn in as Catalan president on Thursday. Photo: Alberto Estévez / POOL / AFP

New Catalonia president Quim Torra on Saturday named two former ministers, jailed by Madrid for backing independence from Spain, together with two others who fled into exile, to his regional government.

Torra appointed his government by decree but it could still be blocked by Spain, which has insisted his administration be "legal and viable" after it imposed direct rule on the region in October when the then Catalan government declared independence.

Torra named 13 "advisors" to his government, including Jordi Turull and Josep Rull, who are currently being held in custody just outside Madrid.

Two others, Toni Comin and Lluis Puig, are in exile in Belgium, where they fled with deposed Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont.

Turull and Rull both accepted their nominations on Twitter.

Torra was elected by the Catalan parliament on Monday and sworn in Thursday, in a move that marks the end of nearly seven months of political limbo in the northeastern Spanish region, which has been under direct rule from Madrid since the central government deposed Puigdemont following a failed declaration of independence on October 27.

Torra, a 55-year-old editor who has long campaigned for independence, described himself as a "caretaker president" as he awaits the return of Puigdemont, whom he considers the "legitimate" leader.

In a brief swearing-in ceremony on Thursday, Torra promised to "loyally fulfil the duties of the post of regional president being faithful to the will of the Catalan people represented by the Catalan parliament." But he did not promise to obey the Spanish Constitution nor the statute that regulates Catalonia's autonomy. He appeared flanked only by a Catalan flag, without the traditional Spanish flag and portrait of the king that protocol states must be present, in a small side-room of the regional government building in Barcelona. The Spanish government criticised Torra's choices as a "new provocation" given that "some of them are on the run from justice or in detention". A government statement said Madrid "will analyse the viability" of Torra's team -- a sign the capital will delay formalising their appointment. Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis criticised the ceremony, saying it was done "on the sly", as if Torra "were a second-rate president". And on Friday, government spokesman Inigo Mendez de Vigo had warned that "an advisor or minister cannot exercise their duties as such while they are in prison." But Torra had written to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, requesting a meeting "without any conditions" in a gesture that observers could herald as an easing of tensions between Madrid and the separatists.

Puigdemont, who first fled to Belgium, was detained in Germany in March after Spain issued a European arrest warrant against him. Madrid wants him extradited to Spain to try him on charges of rebellion and misuse of public funds for staging an independence referendum in Catalonia on October 1 even though the courts had ruled it unconstitutional.

A German court last month dismissed the extradition request for Puigdemont on the rebellion allegations and released him on bail.

Spanish prosecutors have since handed over new information to Germany they hope will prove the use of violence, to justify the rebellion charge and their extradition request. </s> The new Catalan government led by Quim Torra has officially assumed its powers, thus ending Madrid's direct rule over the autonomous Spanish region.

Quim Torra says that he wants to talk with the new Spanish PM Pedro Sanchez.

The Generalitat's first session will be held on Saturday. Its 13 members have all been sworn in by Torra and promised to perform their duties in accordance with the law.

In late May, Madrid refused to recognize a cabinet proposed by Torra, which included exiled and imprisoned Catalan politicians. Torra said the actions of the Spanish government broke the law and violated his political rights.

He took the oath of office on May 17 but did not swear allegiance to either the Spanish king or constitution.

Nevertheless, the Spanish government approved Torra's second Cabinet list. On Friday, a decree on new regional government appointments was published in the Official Gazette of the Government of Catalonia. </s> Newly elected Catalan regional leader Quim Torra speaks to reporters outside the Estremera prison in Estremera Thomson Reuters MADRID (Reuters) - Nationalists regained control of Catalonia's regional government on Saturday as a new cabinet was sworn in, automatically ending just over seven months of direct rule from Madrid by Spain's central government.

The cabinet led by Quim Torra, a close aide to former Catalonia leader Carles Puigdemont, took over on the day Socialist Pedro Sanchez, who has said he wants talks on Catalonia but opposes any independence referendum, was officially sworn in as new Spanish prime minister.

Sanchez' predecessor, the conservative Mariano Rajoy, imposed direct rule over Catalonia at the end of October after nationalists led by Puigdemont held an independence referendum deemed illegal by Spanish courts.

According to the Spanish constitution, direct rule from Madrid was due to end the moment a new regional government was put in place in Barcelona.

It took several tense months, after snap regional elections were held in December, for Catalan nationalists to get a new cabinet approved by the regional parliament and go past Madrid's moves to block any candidate in self-imposed exile, like Puigdemont, or in jail. </s> Catalonia's parliament has elected hard-line separatist Quim Torra as the Spanish region's new leader. The divided parliament voted 66 in favour, 65 against and 4 abstentions for the election of Torra, who was handpicked by the region's exiled former leader, Carles Puigdemont.
New President of the Generalitat of Catalonia, Quim Torra, forms a new regional government, including the dismissed and imprisoned members Jordi Turull and Josep Rull, and "self-exiled" dismissed members Lluís Puig and Toni Comín.