Joan Laporta has been elected the new president of Barcelona.
Amid the ongoing drama surrounding the arrest of former chief Josep Maria Bartomeu, Blaugrana players and staff took to the ballot boxes on Sunday to vote for the club's new president.
Laporta was up against Toni Freixa and Victor Font for the role, and the 58-year-old won by a landslide as he took 58.3% of the votes, with Font and Freixa receiving 31.3% and 9.3% respectively.
The Spaniard will therefore be assuming office in Catalonia for the second time after holding the position between 2003 and 2010, during which time Barcelona won four La Liga titles, two Champions Leagues, and Lionel Messi broke onto the scene.
Laporta often spoke optimistically about his chances of convincing Messi to sign a new deal at Camp Nou as speculation over his next career move dominates the talk of the transfer market, and the new president will undoubtedly be prioritising fresh terms for the six-time Ballon d'Or winner over the next couple of months.
The Spaniard takes over for the second time as Barca gear up for the second leg of their Champions League last-16 battle with Paris Saint-Germain - trailing 4-1 on aggregate to the French champions - and the second-placed Blaugrana sit three points behind Atletico Madrid in La Liga.
