Starts the countdown for the intervention of the State in Catalonia

USPA NEWS - The Spanish Government has given the president of the regional government of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, a deadline until 10:00 a.m. (05:00 ET) on Monday October 16 to explain whether or not declared the independence of Catalonia last Tuesday. The requirement is the previous step for the activation of article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, which provides for the Governmental intervention of an autonomous community.

The calculated ambiguity of President Puigdemont in his speech to the regional Parliament of Catalonia, when he announced the declaration of independence of this Spanish region and, just ten seconds later, proposed its suspension, pending the start of a negotiation process with the Spanish Government, has confused many Catalans and Spanish political leaders. In addition, the document signed by Puigdemont and the president of the regional Parliament of Catalonia, among others, has not been registered or published in the official journal of Catalonia. Constitutionalist political leaders accuse the Catalan president of cheating his citizens, blackmailing the Spanish Government and playing with democracy.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who met with Socialist Party Secretary-General Pedro Sánchez on Tuesday and Wednesday with the president of the centrist party Citizens, to gather support for the Government's response to the independence challenge, sent to the president of the regional government of Catalonia a requirement to explain officially whether he declared independence or not. And gives him until 10:00 a.m. (05:00 ET) on Monday, October 16. If Puigdemont recognizes that he has declared Catalonia's independence or if he does not respond, the Spanish Government will give him until Thursday, October 19th, to reverse and return to the democratic path.

If it does not, article 155 of the Spanish Constitution contemplates the intervention by the Government of the autonomous community. The region would lose its autonomy and would be under the control of the Spanish Government. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who appeared in Parliament to explain the measures to be taken by his Government, also received the support of the minority parties of Navarre, Asturias and the Canary Islands, so that, in total, it has the support of the two-thirds of the Legislative Chamber. It will be the first time in Spanish democratic history that an autonomous community has to be intervened, but associations of judges and prosecutors consider that the declaration of Catalan independence is a true coup and there are sufficient grounds for such intervention.