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.
The decision to step back and nominate Jordi Sanchez was due to a desire to see regional governing institutions "restored" to the people of Catalonia, Mr Puigdemont said on social media on Thursday from his self-imposed exile in Belgium.
The northeastern Spanish region of Catalonia has been ruled directly from Madrid since late October.
Mr Puigdemont, who is a fugitive from Spanish justice, also international lawyers on his behalf filed a lawsuit on Thursday before the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.
He says the suit accuses Spain's government of violating his rights.
Mr Sanchez's path to becoming Catalonia's president, however, also is fraught with difficulties because he would need the approval of Pablo Llarena - the Supreme Court judge leading the sedition investigation against Puigdemont - to attend the investiture debate in the region's Parliament.
He has been held in preventive detention since October 16 on charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds for his alleged role in the independence bid and Mr Llarena has thus far rejected all petitions to temporarily release him from pre-trial detention.
Mr Puigdemont, who faces similar charges if he returns to Spain, fled into self-imposed exile in Brussels on 30 October along with several members of his deposed Cabinet but still campaigned to be reinstated as Catalonia's leader.
Madrid has rejected Mr Sanchez's candidacy, with Justice Minister Rafael Catala saying it was "difficult" to contemplate a president of one of Spain's autonomous regions being in jail and thus unable to carry out his duties.
