(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The president of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, said at a press conference yesterday that he will not call new elections for the region, leaving the door open for an upcoming declaration of Catalan independence.
'My duty is to exhaust all avenues to find a negotiated and agreed solution to avoid the application of Article 155, said Puigdemont, referring to the article of the Spanish Constitution that can be used to suspend a region's autonomy if it does not fulfil its obligations to the state.
Speaking to reporters gathered in Catalonia's government palace, Puigdemont said that he had sought assurances from the Spanish central government that calling elections would avoid an implementation of Article 155.
'I was ready to call an election if guarantees were given. There is no guarantee that justifies calling an election today, he said.
Puigdemont said that it was now up to the Catalan parliament to move forward with a mandate to split from Spain following an independence referendum that took place on October 1 an event Madrid had declared illegal and tried to stop.
'No one can deny the Catalan side's will for dialogue and political negotiations. No one can say that I have not been willing to make sacrifices to ensure that all avenues for dialogue are in place, said Puigdemont.
His stand sets the stage for the Spanish Senate to approve the take-over of Catalonia's institutions and police, and give the government the power to remove the Catalan president.
But it could also lead to confrontation in the streets as some independence supporters have promised to mount a campaign of civil disobedience.
Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, speaking in a televised Senate committee, said: 'The independence leaders have shown their true face, they have promised a dream but are performing tricks.
In the hours before Puigdemont's highly-anticipated announcement, there was feverish speculation that he would dissolve parliament and announce elections in a bid to keep Madrid at arm's length.
Two of his MPs said they were resigning in protest.
Others had feared Puigdemont would unilaterally declare Catalonia an independent republic.
He did neither.
Thousands of Catalans marched for independence in Barcelona yesterday, chanting 'independence.
One banner read 'Puigdemont, traitor.
Puigdemont had previously addressed a plenary session of the Catalan parliament on October 10 and suspended a unilateral declaration of independence pending dialogue with the Spanish central government.
However, a bitter war of words has ensued instead, and Puigdemont's options ahead of yesterday's planned plenary session seemed to have narrowed to a choice between declaring independence - and thus provoke direct, immediate intervention from the Spanish central government or calling for fresh regional elections.
The plenary session comes a day ahead of a planned meeting of the Spanish Senate in Madrid to vote on the suspension of Catalonia's autonomy, along with various other sanctions initially put forward by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.
In response to the region's ongoing push for independence in the wake of a disputed referendum on October 1, Rajoy had proposed a number of potential sanctions on Catalonia, which include the removal of the separatist regional government and the proclamation of new elections within six months.
The proposed measures were formulated based on Article 155, which has never been used in 40 years of Spanish democracy.
Both the governing PP and the opposition Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE) have signalled that they will support the use of Article 155 if Puigdemont does not call for election's before today's vote in the Spanish Senate.
The political crisis, the gravest since Spain's return to democracy four decades ago, has divided Catalonia itself and caused deep resentment in other parts of the country.
It has also prompted a flight of business from the wealthy region and worried other European leaders who see it as fanning separatist sentiment elsewhere on the continent.
It was not yet clear whether Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy would immediately enforce direct rule or simply seek the Senate's authorisation to do so today but without making it effective on the ground.
Exactly how the central government would enforce in practical terms, and how Catalan civil servants and regional police would react, is also uncertain.
Catalonia is one of 17 regions, with varying degrees of autonomy, that make up Spain.
Polls show the region of 7.5 million people, fiercely protective of their distinctive language, culture and autonomy, is deeply divided on independence.
The semi-autonomous region accounts for 16% of Spain's population and 20% of its economic output.
Spain's Economy Minister Luis de Guindos acknowledged yesterday that there could be 'resistance to officials who might be sent from Madrid to administer Catalonia in the event of a takeover under Article 155.
'I hope that (Catalan) civil servants who are highly professional ... will be conscious that any act against Catalan society will be negative, he warned on Spanish radio.
He added there had been 'a drop in consumption and paralysis of investments as a result of uncertainty sparked by the crisis.
As of yesterday some 1,600 companies had 'moved their legal headquarters out of Catalonia.
Observers fear the stand-off will spark unrest in the region, where industry bodies say tourist bookings are already on the decline.
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