Catalonia swears in a new separatist leader

Catalan secessionist Quim Torra was sworn in yesterday as the Spanish region’s new leader, with his demands for an independent Catalonia set to prolong a standoff with the Spanish government.

Torra was elected by the Catalan parliament’s secessionist lawmakers on Monday. In a sign of the simmering tension, Spain’s national government, which usually sends a representative to regional government ceremonies, declined to attend the swearing-in.

It said Catalan authorities had tried to dictate who could be present.