Puigdemont defies Madrid deadline for clarification in Catalonia dispute
Catalan president Carles Puigdemont has ignored an ultimatum from Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy to formally clarify whether he has declared independence for the region.
The Madrid government had given Puigdemont a deadline of 10:00 local time on Monday to say whether a speech he made last week constituted a proclamation of secession from Spain.
Local authorities carried out a referendum on 1 October which had been ruled illegal by the country's constitutional court, claiming that over 90% of voters had cast their ballots for independence.
Puigdemont signed the declaration during a session of the Catalan parliament last week, before immediately suspending its implementation and asking for talks with the national government.
In a letter released on Monday, Puigdemont did not acknowledge Rajoy’s request for clarification.
"My government’s priority is looking for an avenue for dialogue," Puigdemont wrote. "We want to talk, as established democracies do, about the issue which the majority of the Catalan population has, that they want to set out on their path to being a new independent country."
'YES OR NO'
Spanish deputy prime minister Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría responded to the Catalan leader’s statement with scorn.
"It couldn’t have been too hard to answer yes or no on whether independence has been declared," the deputy prime minister said.
"I don’t think it would have been a complicated reply. With an issue as important as this, all we ask is clarity. Prolonging the uncertainty through deliberate confusion only serves those who want to do away with civic harmony."
While tensions have subsided somewhat since Puigdemont’s speech in parliament, investors are still being advised to be cautious by many analysts.
"While Puigdemont still has a three day window to make his position clearer it is unlikely he will do so without risking the collapse of his Catalan government," said CMC Markets' Michael Hewson.
"Spanish stock markets have slid back over concerns that this lack of clarity will prompt the Madrid government to implement article 155 of the Spanish constitution and impose direct rule, though at this point it’s not clear how he could reasonably implement that without inciting unrest in the region," the analyst added.