Belgium is designating a judge to decide the fate of ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, exiled in the country with four of his separatist allies.<br /><br />All could face extradition to Spain on charges of rebellion, sedition and misuse of public funds.<br /><br />Any extradition process could take up to three months under the European arrest warrants issued by Spanish courts.<br /><br />Puigdemont and his associates could be summoned by Belgian authorities on Sunday or Monday for the decision-making process to begin.<br /><br />The sacked leader took to Twitter on Saturday, urging pro-independence parties to unite for next month’s snap elections in Catalonia.<br /><br />És el moment que tots els demòcrates s’uneixin. Per Catalunya, per la llibertat dels #presospolitics i la República https://t.co/W4WDeUIB43 pic.twitter.com/FwbnA2wMQE— Carles Puigdemont (@KRLS) 4 novembre 2017<br /><br />“It is time for all democrats to join together. For Catalonia, for the freedom of political prisoners and for the republic,” Puigdemont said in a tweet that included the hashtag llistaunitaria.cat, a site calling for parties to unite against the Spanish government at the ballot box.<br /><br />Signatures on the website rose to over 40,000 from just 2,000 within a few hours of Puigdemont’s tweet.<br /><br />And Puigdemont reiterated that he would fully cooperate with Belgian justice following the warrant.<br /><br />We zijn bereid tot volledige medewerking met Belgische justitie nav het Europees aanhoudingsbevel uitgevaardigd door Spanje— Carles Puigdemont (@KRLS) 4 novembre 2017<br /><br />Political parties that wish to run on a common platform have until Tuesday to register any potential coalition and until Nov. 18 to put forward their candidates.<br /><br />Puigdemont has said that he is considering standing in the election from Brussels.<br /><br />Back in Spain, separatist sentiment also persists in the Basque Country.<br /><br />And in a show of solidarity on Saturday, thousands braved the rain to protest the imposition of direct rule on Catalonia by the Spanish government after last month’s unilateral declaration of independence.<br /><br />They also demanded freedom for the eight former Catalan officials in pre-trial custody.<br /><br />Thousands march in Bilbao in solidarity with Catalonia pic.twitter.com/DfuoJI03rY— Catalans for Yes ️ (@CatalansForYes) November 4, 2017<br /><br />with Reuters<br />
