The president of Catalonia has said he will put the results of the independence referendum, deemed illegal by Madrid, into effect by next week, and urge Madrid not to intervene. It comes as Spain’s King Felipe VI has vowed to uphold constitutional order.
In an interview to the BBC on Tuesday, the breakaway region’s president, Carles Puigdemont, said he does not plan to delay the declaration of independence for much longer and is ready to “act at the end of this week or the beginning of next.”
Any attempt of the authorities in Madrid to override the Catalan regional government in a bid to hinder its actions in compliance with results of Sunday’s popular vote would be “an error which changes everything,” Puigdemont warned. He, however, did not elaborate on the Catalan regional government’s possible response to such a scenario.
At the moment, no negotiations have been held between the central and the regional governments, Puigdemont added.
Earlier, Puigdemont said he would agree to a dialogue mediated by the European Union if Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy greenlights the proposal.
“It is clear that things cannot go on like this: mediation cannot be renounced just as dialogue was before. We do not see a more effective way than sitting and talking,” he said.
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