Catalonia's Response to Madrid's Deadline: Let's Negotiate

The leader of the Catalan government reiterated that the region seeks to negotiate with Madrid regarding independence from Spain and criticized the Spanish Prime Minister's threat of potentially suspending Catalonia's autonomy. The Associated Press reported on Thursday (October 12) that Carles Puigdemont made these remarks in response to Mariano Rajoy's five-day deadline for the autonomous government to clarify its independence status. After Puigdemont and other Catalan leaders signed a declaration of independence from Spain, Rajoy officially asked the Catalan leaders on Spanish television to clarify whether they had declared independence or not. He threatened that if the answer was affirmative, Madrid would apply its central authority over the semi-autonomous regions based on Article 155 of the country's constitution, thereby suspending the region's autonomy. In response to this threat, Puigdemont stated that while they have requested negotiations, Article 155 is being placed on the table as a response. 'We received the message.' The Associated Press noted that this clause of the Spanish constitution has never been used before. The leader of the Catalan separatists had previously asked the region's parliament representatives to halt the independence referendum to keep the door open for negotiations with Madrid; however, the referendum was held. Meanwhile, the central Spanish government has stated that it will not negotiate with Catalan regional officials as long as the issue of independence is on the table. The Deputy Prime Minister of Catalonia has also called for negotiation rather than 'confrontation and threats' from Madrid. A spokesperson for the Catalan regional government threatened Madrid that halting the independence process does not mean a 'step back' from this region. The independence referendum in Catalonia was conducted despite strong opposition from Madrid, and the leaders of the Catalonia region have stated that over 40% of eligible voters participated, with 90% of them demanding separation from Spain. The central Spanish government claims that this referendum is illegal, citing the constitution that was enacted after the death of General Franco, Spain's last dictator, in 1978. Catalonia is a wealthy region in Spain with its own language and culture, and if it separates from Madrid, it would impact part of the country's exports and economy.