“We’re a radically pro-European movement,” a senior figure in one of the main civic groups pushing for secession told The Irish Times. Just hours before his fateful speech, European Council president Donald Tusk made a direct plea to the Catalan leader to step back from the brink and not make “dialogue impossible”. While worries about a recent exodus of Catalan businesses from the region may have played a part in preventing Puigdemont from making a more strident declaration, international considerations appear to have been key. But pressure from his own Popular Party (PP) and voters mean he is loath to broach the possibility of organising a Scotland-style, negotiated referendum, which is the holy grail for the independence movement. On Wednesday, Rajoy told Congress he could be willing to discuss with Catalan authorities issues such as finances and public services. In addition, European Union members, some of which have taken Madrid’s side in the dispute in recent days, are reluctant to step on Rajoy’s toes and wade into the crisis. The Spanish government refused to sit down, claiming it was being blackmailed by the possibility of an independence declaration. His previous appeals for mediated negotiations saw little progress. The most radical pro-independence party in mainstream politics, the CUP is giving Puigdemont a month or so to see if his mediation proposal pays off.
Its relationship with the governing coalition, he said, had been hurt after “the script was changed”. The governing Junts pel Sí coalition is backed by the anti-capitalist Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP), which caused Tuesday’s announcement to be delayed as it haggled over the content of Puigdemont’s speech moments before it was delivered.Īfterwards, its representatives were clearly disappointed, with Quim Arrufat saying the party had initially expected a strident proclamation of the Catalan republic. Meanwhile, there is speculation regarding the effect that Tuesday’s declaration will have on the stability of the Catalan government. But although the implementation of article 155, which has never been used before, appears to be on its way, Rajoy’s request for clarification has now put the pressure back on the Catalan president. One of the reasons for the ambiguous nature of Puigdemont’s announcement was his concern that it would draw an immediate, dramatic response from the Spanish government. The prime minister said that requesting clarification from the Catalan leader – with a five-day deadline – was a prerequisite if he is to trigger article 155 of the constitution, which would allow Madrid to suspend the region’s autonomous powers and introduce direct rule.
“It’s important that we return to calm and tranquillity.” “If Puigdemont respects legality then a period of illegality and uncertainty will come to an end,” Rajoy said. On Wednesday, Rajoy accused Puigdemont of sowing “deliberate confusion” with his address and called on him to abandon the independence drive once and for all. Puigdemont and his allies also signed a document that established “the Catalan republic, as an independent and sovereign state”, although it had no legal framework. Many – although not all – observers saw this as a unilateral declaration of independence, although it was immediately followed by Puigdemont's proposal that it be suspended "for several weeks" to allow for possible mediation to resolve the dispute with the Spanish state.
The Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont told his region's parliament on Tuesday that there was a "mandate allowing for Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic". Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy has called on the Catalan president to clarify whether or not he issued a declaration of independence earlier this week, in what is seen as a likely first move towards introducing direct rule in the region.
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