“This moment requires mediation,” Mr. Puigdemont said. It is also unclear how far Mr. Rajoy would want to apply Article 155 in a climate of street protests. Though Mr. Puigdemont is calling for international mediation, only a few European Union officials have spoken out, and they have called for internal Spanish dialogue. On Wednesday, Margarita Robles, the parliamentary spokeswoman of the Socialist Party, told Mr. Rajoy to take full responsibility for his handling of Catalonia. Mr. Rajoy is “paid to govern, not to look into the rearview mirror to see what the opposition does,” she said.

Source: New York Times October 04, 2017 18:17 UTC