Spain fears the Catalan parliament will vote for independence on Tuesday, when Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont is due to address the assembly in the wake of a banned Oct. 1 referendum in which Catalan officials say people voted overwhelmingly for secession. PROTESTS, NO TALKSWith Puigdemont under pressure to back down, there is speculation he may baulk at moving an independence motion on Tuesday and call snap regional polls, turning them into a de facto, legal referendum on independence. But Puigdemont appeared resolute in a TV interview on Sunday, saying the region’s referendum law called for a declaration of independence in the event of a “yes” vote. “We feel both Catalan and Spanish,” Araceli Ponze, 72, said during Sunday’s rally. Rajoy has said repeatedly he will not talk to the Catalan leaders unless they drop their plans to declare independence.

Source: bd News24 October 09, 2017 10:41 UTC