Belgian judge to decide next phase in Spain Catalonia fight

BRUSSELS — The fight between Spain and Catalonia’s separatists reached a Belgian judge on Sunday after the region’s deposed leader and four ex-ministers surrendered in Brussels to face possible extradition to Madrid for allegedly plotting a rebellion. Hours after former Catalan regional president Carles Puigdemont and the others turned themselves in to Belgian authorities, Puigdemont’s party put him forward as its leader for an upcoming regional election called by the Spanish government— meaning he could end up heading a campaign from Brussels while he fights a forced return to Spain. Belgian judicial authorities now have to make a decision rife with diplomatic implications for fellow European Union members Spain and Belgium and political consequences for Catalonia, the restive Spanish region fighting Madrid for independence.