Spain’s government has given Catalonia’s separatist leader Carles Puigdemont five days to say whether he has declared independence.
If Puigdemont confirms that he indeed declared independence there are indications he will be given a further three days to withdraw the declaration.
And if he doesn’t Madrid will invoke the article that allows central government to suspend a region’s autonomy and impose direct rule.
Last evening, Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont said while the referendum this month had given his government a mandate to create a sovereign republic, he would not immediately push ahead with independence from Spain.
Although he signed a declaration of independence, he proposed that its effects be suspended for a few weeks to allow for dialogue.
And the mood in Spain after the suspension of the independence declaration is that of uncertainty
over the country’s future.
Madrid residents say they are unsure about how the political crisis would unfold, as mainstream newspapers accuse Puigdemont of blackmailing the government to buy time.
