BRUSSELS—Carles Puigdemont, the former president of the Spanish region of Catalonia, has announced he will run for a seat in the European Parliament, in a bid to win immunity from criminal charges linked to a 2017 independence referendum.
The separatist leader, who is currently living in exile in Belgium, will be the lead candidate for his party Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia) in the Europe-wide contest to be held May 26.
