MADRID (AP) — A political group that wants Catalonia to break away from Spain and become an independent country says the region's former president is running for a seat in the European Parliament even though the Spanish government considers him a fugitive.

JxCat — or Together for Catalonia, a ticket that includes the conservative separatist PDeCat party— says Carles Puigdemont will be its top candidate for the May 26 election. PDeCat currently has one lawmaker in the European assembly.

The 56-year-old politician fled to Belgium after leading Catalonia's attempt to break away in 2017 and has successfully fought his extradition to Spain.

Puigdemont tweeted Sunday that "It is time to take another step forward to internationalize Catalonia's right to self-determination: right from the heart of Europe to the whole world."