Puigdemont refrains from going to Madrid

Catalonia Referendum Independence Catalan leader Madrid PuigdemontCatalonia. Photo: Pixabay.com

Catalan leader refrains from addressing the National Assembly in Madrid

The leader of Cataloñia, Carles Puigdemont, does not wish to travel to Madrid to speak before the Spanish national assembly regarding leaving Spain.

 

– He is not going to travel either Thursday nor Friday, says a spokeswoman representing the regional authorities in Catalonia on Wednesday afternoon, according to AFP.

Puigdemont was scheduled to visit Madrid the day before the House of Representatives in the National Assembly are to hold a vote on whether the Government should be allowed to deprive Cataloñia of self governance. The Spanish Senate has suggested that the Catalan leader should make a defensive speech in an attempt to prevent Madrid from depriving him and his of ministers of power.

Instead, Puigdemont will attend a meeting in the regional assembly on Thursday to pursue the intended independence, according to the news agency Ap.

The sources belong to different parts of the regional assembly and want to remain anonymous.

Later on Wednesday, supporters in favour of Catalan independence will demonstrate in Barcelona.

Unclear strategy

It is still unclear how Cataloñia’s leaders will respond to the huffing and puffing from Madrid. According to local media, the regional Government is however considering several alternatives: including announcing elections in Catalonia and declaring independence

On Tuesday evening, according to Catalan newspaper, La Vanguardia, there was an intense debate between several Catalan government members on how to procede. The meeting lasted until late, but no decision was made.

Several believe that Catalonia should accept Madrid’s demand for an election in January to prevent the region from losing its self-governance, according to a source close to Puigdemont.

The backdrop is that the Catalan government on October 1 held a referendum regarding independence. The referendum is deemed against the law by the Spanish Supreme Court.

Temporary

On Saturday, the Spanish Government decided to impose Section 155 of the Constitution, which opens for taking away Catalonia’s slef governance and deposing the regional Government due to exceptional circumstances.

In a speech to the National Assembly on Wednesday, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy stressed that the measures, which will be dealt with in the Senate on Friday, will only be temporary.

He states that the takeover by Madrid will be ended after an election has been performed in Catalonia, and what Rajoy referes to as law and order is restored in the region.

Noteworthy is also that King Felipe has thrown himself into the struggle on behalf of the central Government.

We have no options left but to declare a Republic, according to the vice president

The Catalan Vice President says that Spain has not given the Catalan any other choice than to declare an independent republic.

Oriol Junqueras, in an interview with AP (news agency), Wednesday states that there is a democratic mandate to declare a republic. But he emphasizes that he does not speak on behalf of the entire regional Government, but on behalf of the Republican Party, which is one of two represented in the Catalan Government.

According to unnamed sources, the Catalan regional government is divided regarding the further strategy. While some believe that they should declare Cataloñia as an independent country, others believe that they should accept Madrid’s demand for elections.

It is by no means clear how many Catalan voters will support independence, but most believe that it should be up to them to decide, not Madrid.

 

©  NTB Scanpix / Norway Today