The three fled to Belgium in 2017 to avoid arrest in relation to their role in organising a 2017 independence referendum deemed illegal by a Spanish court and have been the subject of European arrest warrants issued by Spain.
ERC official Marta Vilalta said the results showed that, unless the Socialists accept its demands, the party will uphold its refusal to facilitate Sanchez’s bid to form a government.
Catalonia has been rocked by mass protests since long prison sentences were handed down in mid-October to nine separatist leaders who spearheaded a failed independence bid in 2017.
The general strike that brought the Catalan capital to a standstill drew over half a million people, according to police estimates, and was largely peaceful for most of the day.
Torra, a hardline Catalan nationalist handpicked by the region’s deposed president, Carles Puigdemont, was elected by 66 votes to 65 on Monday and assumed office at a low-key ceremony in Barcelona on Thursday.
In a video from his self-imposed exile in Berlin, Mr Puigdemont named Quim Torra to be a candidate for the presidency of the region.
The situation in Barcelona escalated in the evening as protesters fought running battles with riot police. Local authorities reported dozens of injuries and many arrests.
The two options - which would either see Puigdemont attending the Parliament on a video call or a delegate reading the inauguration speech on his behalf - are currently being studied by lawyers.
Voter turnout is expected to be high Thursday.
"What we know today is that much of this came from Russian territory," Spanish Defence Minister Maria Dolores de Cospedal said of Russian-based internet support.
She was sent to Alcala Meco prison outside Madrid late Thursday, but was expected to get out after making bail Friday.
Puigdemont will appear within 15 days before a court in Brussels, which will decide whether to execute Spain’s November 3 order to arrest and surrender him.
A spokesman for the state prosecutor of Belgium noted that they will "study" the warrant.
"This is a political trial," said Puigdemont, who is now in Belgium.
Earlier in mass media information appeared that Puidgemont and his two comrades returned to Barcelona.
The move comes after Belgium's asylum and migration affairs minister Theo Francken said the former president could seek asylum in the country.
Lawmakers from the Socialist Party, the People’s Party (PP) and Ciudadanos had left the chamber before the vote in protest.
The Spanish government’s representative in Catalonia Enric Millo was also declared a persona non grata by the Girona City Council.
The gathering will come one day before the Spanish Senate is expected to approve the measures to suspend the Catalan autonomy.
The decision was taken after a special cabinet meeting, three weeks after the semi-autonomous region held a controversial independence referendum.
He was speaking ahead of an EU Council summit, but said the issue of Catalonia was "not in our agenda".
"The Spanish government will continue with the procedures outlined in Article 155 of the Constitution to restore legality in Catalonia's self-government," the government statement said.
From the very start of this process it was predictable that the final aim of Catalonia is not that much independence, but getting higher degree of autonomy. In this regard the passions were more aggravated by the tough reaction of the official Madrid on holding a referendum and the use of violence.
The Catalan authorities say that a majority of those who voted supported a split from Spain, something Madrid says is illegal under the country’s 1978 constitution.
The court warned that any session carried out in defiance of its ban would be “null”, and added that the parliament’s leaders could face criminal action if they ignored the court order.
"FC Barcelona, as a reference point in Catalan sport, committed to the values of respect, dialogue and coexistence, today joined the Independent Commission for Mediation, Dialogue and Conciliation. This Commission, promoted by the Barcelona Legal Association, aims to find a way out of the current political situation.”
Mr Puigdemont said there was currently no contact between the government in Madrid and his devolved administration.
More than 840 people were injured in clashes with police after the Guardia Civil tried to close polling stations across Catalonia, violently removing people who were attempting to vote.
"The [Catalans’] fight [for independence] would not end with the referendum; the fight had not started on the day of the referendum, but it had started years ago, and it will continue for years," Sulian added.
"Today there was a day of hope, and citizens of Catalonia have won the right to become the independent country operated as the republic" — he has told in his televised address.
"We will turn to the EU about the violation of basic human rights, which threatens the EU itself. We call on European institutions to condemn violence against which European citizens suffer," he said.
He defended the actions of Spanish law enforcement officers, saying police "performed their duty" in Catalonia.
Police officers are preventing people from voting, and seizing ballot papers and boxes at polling stations.
The referendum has been declared illegal by Spain’s central government and it was unclear if all voting stations would be allowed to open at 9 A.M. (0700 GMT) as planned.
"The Guardia Civil (police force) seized 2.5 million ballots, four million envelopes and 100 ballot boxes in a warehouse in Igualada," said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.
According to the supporters of the referendum, Madrid does not sufficiently respect its language and culture.
Separatist parties which hold a slim majority backed the referendum law and legal framework needed to set up an independent state.
People carried banners with slogans reading "Tourists welcome, locals not welcome" and "Barcelona is not for sale".
The Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, said that voters in the unilateral referendum would be asked the question: “Do you want Catalonia to be an independent country in the form of a republic?”
Catalonia has repeatedly fought Madrid over its right to secede.
Catalans gathered in five cities across the northeastern region, including Barcelona, on Sunday.
The conclusions of the commission include the points of secession's terms and a referendum on a new regional constitution.
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