Carles Puigdemont
Catalonia's deposed president Carles Puigdemont vowed Saturday to "defend the just cause of the Catalan people" as he returned to Belgium.
Puigdemont returns to Belgium on Saturday to keep pressing for his region's independence after a Spanish judge dropped a European arrest warrant for him.
The Catalan parliament is expected to vote in a hard-line separatist as leader on Monday.
A German court refused a request from Spain to extradite Catalonia's ousted leader Carles Puigdemont on a rebellion charge following his arrest.
Hundreds of Catalan independence supporters marched in Berlin on Sunday to demand the release of ex-regional president Carles Puigdemont.
A German court on Monday kept former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont in custody pending possible extradition to Spain to face "rebellion" charges.
Thousands of Catalan separatists faced off with police in Barcelona on Sunday following the arrest in Germany of Catalonia's former president Carles Puigdemont.
German had arrested former Catalan secessionist leader Puigdemont in the northern state of Schleswig-Holstein on a European arrest warrant issued by Spain.
The Catalan parliament speaker said the vote for a new regional head, planned for Tuesday, had been postponed but insisted that self-exiled.
Spain's Constitutional Court said on Saturday the former leader of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, could only attend a swearing-in session.
The Spanish government turned to the courts to try to stop Catalonia's ousted separatist leader Carles Puigdemont from returning to power despite facing arrest.
Puigdemont called on the Spanish government to allow him to return to Spain in time for the opening session of the Catalan parliament by January 23.
Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont on Friday offered to meet Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy outside Spain for talks on the region's independence crisis.
Catalonia's axed separatist leader Carles Puigdemont has dreamed since childhood of independence from Spain.
Catalonians vote in new regional elections December 21 in a ballot that is likely to reflect the prevailing mood on independence.
With one candidate speaking via video conference from Belgium and another sending dispatches from prison.
Nationalist gains at the ballot box in Corsica may have earned the French island comparisons with Catalonia.
A sea of around 45,000 pro-Catalonia protesters demonstrated in Brussels on Thursday to show support for the region's deposed president Carles Puigdemont.
Catalan political parties officially kicked off their campaign for a December 21 regional election on Tuesday.
Spain's Supreme Court judge will decide on Monday whether to release jailed Catalan cabinet members currently in custody after being accused of sedition.
