Despite the interest of the Spanish government, the Catalonian authorities assured they will not change their mind

After the referendum of the 1st of October, where nearly 2 million Catalans voted in favor of independence, the spirits are heated. The Catalonian authorities, pro-independence, announced that they would continue to strive for independence. Meanwhile, the Spanish government keeps on trying to stop the fact, as it considers that the referendum was illegal.

Phillip the VI, the king of Spain, made a speech where he openly criticized the Catalonian authorities. According to the monarch, the Catalonian Government put in risk the unity of the nation and the economic stability of Catalonia. The regal authority also requested all sides to respect the constitution and the democracy.

Carles Puigdemont, president of the Catalonian Government, assured that they are almost certain that on October 9^th the official independence of Catalonia will be announced despite the pressure of the anti-independence politicians and citizens. Meanwhile, in an interview with EFE, the president of the Spanish Government, Mariano Rajoy, asked Puigdemont to “get back to the legal path” and to stop his intentions of declaring a unilateral independence”.

The Spanish Government has one last option, the article number 155. According to the Spanish Constitution, if an autonomous community doesn’t follow the constitution, the Central Government can force the local institutions to obey regulations. However, many experts fear the implementation of this law due to the uncertainty of it. The article 155 of the Spanish Constitution has never been applied.

Puigdemont qualified the application of the article 155 as the “final mistake” that the Central Government can make. He assured that “after every mistake, we have emerged stronger. Today, we are even closer to independence in comparison to a month ago”.

Latin American Post | Santiago Gómez Hernández 

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