Catalonia’s Puigdemont vows to restore cabinet, blasts Spain authorities

Catalonia’s fugitive ex-leader has lambasted Spanish authorities on social media as a new regional parliament convenes in the first step toward choosing the government later this month. Carles Puigdemont tweeted that “they only understand about fear, violence and imposition,” AP reports. The politician vowed to reinstate his former cabinet as the legitimate government, saying “we will show them that there is nothing that can bend the spirit of free people.” Puigdemont and four of his former cabinet members fled to Belgium, dodging a Spanish judicial investigation after the foiled attempt to declare Catalan independence in late October.