Puigdemont made the announcement via social media from self-exile in Belgium
Carles Puigdemont, ousted by Madrid from Catalonia's regional presidency last October after an abortive push to secede from Spain, says he is "provisionally" withdrawing his candidacy to lead the region in favour of a colleague now behind bars awaiting prosecution for sedition.
Since then, Catalonia has remained without a regional government and under direct rule from Madrid as divided separatist parties can not agree who to pick as candidate for the presidency - their favoured contender Puigdemont being in self-exile in Brussels.
Mr Puigdemont suggested the Catalan parliament pick Jordi Sanchez, a political ally in the secession bid who is now in jail in Madrid while a court mulls formal charges against him, as president.
One of the possible contenders is Jordi Sanchez, the 53-year-old head of the ANC, a hugely influential pro-independence citizens' group.
The nomination of Mr Sanchez is likely to be just as fraught with difficulty, given his circumstances.
It also states that the separatists are "favourable to the constitution of Catalonia as an independent state", but stops short of validating a failed declaration of independence on October 27. Sanchez is in prison facing charges of sedition.
Newfield Exploration Co. (NFX)
Newfield Exploration Company ( NFX ) recently closed with fall of -12.20% to its 20-Day Simple Moving Average. US Bancorp DE's holdings in Newfield Exploration were worth $1,457,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.
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The Reds trio have scored 43 of Liverpool FC's 65 goals in the Premier League this term to build a formidable partnership. Liverpool now lie third in the Premiere League table with 57points, 15 behind leaders Manchester City.
Pro-independence parties won a majority in elections that Rajoy called in Catalonia in December, and Puigdemont had campaigned to be re-instated as the region's leader.
But he still ran in the December polls from overseas, leading the separatist bloc to victory as they retained their absolute majority in parliament. He argued he could govern the region remotely, with the help of super-fast new technologies. But Spain's Constitutional Court has made his appointment conditional on his physical presence in the regional capital Barcelona.
Faced with these obstacles, the Catalan parliament's speaker- also a separatist-postponed a key assembly vote to reappoint Puigdemont as president in January.
In the video, Puigdemont called it unconstitutional to continue holding Catalan politicians in jail over their calls for the region's independence.
Various Spanish media outlets had pondered whether Thursday's parliamentary motion was a first step in appointing a presidential candidate other than Puigdemont, and at the same time offering him a "symbolic" role from Belgium.
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