Catalan MPs fail to agree on new President

Barcelona, May 13: Catalonia’s Parliament failed to elect pro- independence candidate Quim Torra as regional President on Saturday, although the candidate handpicked by deposed leader Carles Puigdemont said he will work "tirelessly" for a split from Spain.

Following a bullish anti- Madrid speech during a debate in the Catalan Parliament, Torra won 66 votes against 65, with 4 regional lawmakers abstaning in the first round of voting.

However, the same result in the second round vote scheduled for Monday would be enough for him to be elected, as only a simple majority will be required.

The 55- year- old fatherofthree, is an independence advocate cut from the same cloth as Puigdemont, who is currently in exile in Germany fighting an arrest warrant and extradition request from Spain, but still exerting his influence on politics back in Catalonia.

Addressing parliament, Torra said he was "working tirelessly for the Catalan republic" and signalled that the secession crisis is far from over, even if Catalonia does finally get a government after months of political limbo.

“I want it to be clear that our president is Carles Puigdemont and we will be loyal to the mandate of October 1 to build an independent state in the form of a republic," Torra said, referring to last year's outlawed independence referendum.