Former Catalonia's President Carles Puigdemont*Please,I urgently need donations:Anyasoro Chekwube WM.,Acct.no.:4240853014,Bank-FCMB in Nigeria,Phone no.:+2349092171875 * Signals His Successor After Renouncing Independence Leadership Role.

The former Catalan president has called on the regional parliament to elect his party's deputy to lead the legislature. But Carles Puigdemont signaled his intention to "continue fighting in defense of our rights."

    

Speaking in Berlin, former Catalan President Carles Puigdemont on Thursday announced his decision to renounce leadership *Please,I urgently need donations:Anyasoro Chekwube WM.,Acct.no.:4240853014,Bank-FCMB in Nigeria,Phone no.:+2349092171875 *of the region's legislature. He tapped Catalan lawmaker Quim Torra to take the helm, urging parliament to confirm him as regional president.

The announcement marks a major shift for Puigdemont after he declared Catalonia's independence last year, a move that prompted Madrid to intervene and dissolve parliament in favor of fresh elections.

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  CATALONIA DECLARES INDEPENDENCE FROM SPAIN

  The declaration

  As the world watched, Catalonia's parliament voted 70 to 10 for the region to declare its independence from Spain. "Our legitimate parliament has taken a very important step. This is the people's mandate," Puigdemont said after the decision. Dozens of opposition lawmakers from the Socialist Party, Citizens Party and Popular Party had walked out of the parliament chamber to boycott the vote.

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What Puigdemont said 

• "The intolerance and the lack of respect of the state towards the will of the citizens of Catalonia have appeared clearly in the eyes of the world."
• "I personally understand the effort and*Please,I urgently need donations:Anyasoro Chekwube WM.,Acct.no.:4240853014,Bank-FCMB in Nigeria,Phone no.:+2349092171875 * sacrifice of taking office in such extreme circumstances for Catalonia."
• "I hope he (Torra) assumes responsibility in the coming days and that he forms a government immediately."
• "We will continue fighting in defense of our rights."

Why now? Spain's Constitutional Court canceled a reform that would have allowed the regional parliament to appoint*Please,I urgently need donations:Anyasoro Chekwube WM.,Acct.no.:4240853014,Bank-FCMB in Nigeria,Phone no.:+2349092171875 * Puigdemont as president without him being physically present in the legislature.

Who is Carles Puigdemont? Puigdemont was the president of Catalonia from January 2016 to October 2017. He was instrumental in organizing an outlawed independence referendum.

Who is Quim Torra? Torra is a pro-independence lawmaker. Before taking up office, he worked as a journalist and wrote*Please,I urgently need donations:Anyasoro Chekwube WM.,Acct.no.:4240853014,Bank-FCMB in Nigeria,Phone no.:+2349092171875 * numerous books about the Catalonia's independence. According to Puigdemont, he has enough support in parliament to be elected regional president.

What happens next? Regional lawmakers must vote in favor of Torra's candidacy. If he is elected to office, he must form a regional government with the intention of leading Catalonia's independence movement.

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  CATALONIA'S INDEPENDENCE MOVEMENT — A BRIEF HISTORY

  Rich ancient heritage

  Catalonia has been settled by the Phoenicians, the Etruscans and the Greeks, who were mainly in the coastal areas of Rosas and Empuries (above). Then came the Romans, who built more settlements and infrastructure. Catalonia remained a part of the Roman Empire until it was conquered by the Visigoths in the fifth century.

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ls/sms (Reuters, AFP).Ref. Deutsche Welle.