Catalan lawmakers elect pro-independence politician as parliamentary speaker

Deputy Roger Torrent (C) is applauded after being elected as new Speaker during the first session of Catalan Parliament after the regional elections in Barcelona, Spain, January 17, 2018. REUTERS/Albert Gea

MADRID (Reuters) - Catalan lawmakers on Wednesday elected pro-independence politician Roger Torrent as speaker of the regional parliament in a sign of strength for parties seeking a split from Spain.

Torrent was the preferred candidate for speaker of the two main pro-independence parties Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia) and Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (Republican Left of Catalonia).

(Reporting by Sonya Dowsett; Editing by Paul Day)