Catalonia Elects New Leader Tasked With Breakaway From Spain Sunday January 10,2016

 

The majority secessionist lawmakers in Catalonia's parliament voted in a new leader Sunday January 10,2016, tasking him with overseeing the wealthy region's breakaway from Spain in a last-minute show of unity after months of bitter infighting.

Carles Puigdemont was elected regional president with 70 votes for, 63 against and two abstentions, giving Catalonia's high-profile independence movement a fresh lease of life and drawing a sharp rebuke from Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who vowed to fight for his country's unity.

"The government won't allow a single act that could harm the unity and sovereignty of Spain," Rajoy warned in a live, televised appearance in Madrid.

New elected President of the Catalan Government Carles Puigdemont (L) is congratulated by former President Artur Mas at the end of an investiture debate for the Catalan Government's presidency, at the Parliament of Catalonia in Barcelona on January 10, 2016. 

After months of acrimony, Catalonia's pro-independence faction that won regional parliamentary elections in September finally came to an agreement this weekend over who should lead the new local government.