... calling a snap election would also mean that Puigdemont had refused to capitalize on the fruits of the victory in the October 1 referendum and declare independence. His followers would see it as treason and surrender.
Puigdemont was clearly hesitant. On ... ...
At the other flank, polls predict major success for the Citizens party with its Catalan roots and consistent stance against separatism (it proposed invoking Article 155 much earlier than Rajoy did). At the same time, the possibility of pooling forces ...
... without a permit for a national referendum. This provision of the Basic Law was recently confirmed by the Congress of Deputies, the lower house of the Spanish Parliament, and the Spanish Constitutional Court, which prohibited Catalonia from holding this referendum. Nevertheless, the regional authorities continue to try and achieve this goal. The currently acute situation is quite dangerous, particularly with regards to the unpredictability of both sides.
Roots of Modern Separatism
Modern Catalonia is one of the most developed and richest autonomous communities in the Kingdom of Spain. It is home to 7.5 million people, making up approximately
16 percent of the population
.
But the total area where Catalan-speaking people ...