MADRID (Reuters) - Catalonia's new leader Quim Torra named his cabinet on Saturday, although the inclusion of politicians who are in prison awaiting trial or in self-imposed exile was immediately denounced as a provocation by Spain's ruling party .
The central government has been at odds with Catalonia since the previous regional government organized an illegal popular vote on secession in October before a unilateral declaration of independence prompted Madrid to take control.
Pro-independence leaders in the wealthy region, which accounts for around a fifth of Spain's total economic output, say it unfairly pays too much into government coffers and have campaigned for the creation of a new republic.
After pro-independence parties won a slim majority in December elections and after a series of failed attempts to appoint a leader who was neither in jail nor abroad, Torra was sworn in on Monday.
Torra, a hardline supporter of Catalan independence and close ally of former leader Carles Puigdemont who is in Berlin while a decision is made on his extradition, has called on the central government to end direct rule.
The inclusion of Jordi Turull and Josep Rull, both in preventive detention for their participation in the campaign, and Antoni Comรญn and Lluรญs Puig i Gordi, in Brussels and also wanted by the Spanish police, is unlikely to loosen Madrid's reins in the region.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has said that once Catalonia has a full and legal government, he would return direct government to Catalonia.
However, government spokesman รรฑigo Mรฉndez de Vigo said on Friday that the inclusion of imprisoned politicians would be rejected by courts that had already blocked attempts to appoint detained or absent candidates to the leadership position.
"The composition of the new (Catalan Government) is a clear message that they want to continue with the problems, the conflict and the provocation," the candidate of the ruling Popular Party (PP) in Catalonia, Xavier Garcรญa Albiol, said on Twitter after Torra's announcement. .
(Reporting by Paul Day; Editing by Ros Russell)
