Catalan government sues Rajoy over abuse of power

New Catalan leader Quim Torra has filed a lawsuit against Mariano Rajoy, who was ousted as Spain’s prime minister earlier on Friday, and his deputy Soraya Saenz de Santamaria over abuse of power.

In late May, Madrid refused to recognize a cabinet proposed by Torra, which included exiled and imprisoned Catalan politicians.

Torra said the actions of the Spanish government broke the law and violated his political rights.

Nevertheless, the Spanish government approved Torra’s second Cabinet list. Earlier on Friday, a decree on new regional government appointments was published in the Official Gazette of the Government of Catalonia.

The regional government is set to regain its autonomy and begin working on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, Rajoy was ousted by an absolute majority of 180 out of 350 lawmakers, with socialist leader Pedro Sanchez becoming a new prime minister.