💰 Declaration Of Independence From Spain Imminent In Catalonia

(26/10/2017) Puigdemont is about to declare independence from Spain, despite everything that has happened over the past six weeks.

(Originally published on October 26, 2017, the day before the Catalan Parliament declared independence from Spain)

On Thursday morning, a burst of expectation ran across Spain—and disappointment and anger across the faces and Twitter feeds of Catalan separatists—after news broke that Carles Puigdemont was about to throw in the towel and announce early regional elections within the limits of the Spanish Constitution. After several hours of contradictory headlines and counter-rumours, in the end—to the joy of pro-independence supporters—the First Minister of Catalonia rejected that option, arguing he had tried his best to explore options until the end and "guarantee dialogue". This was a lie.

On Wednesday, the Speaker of the Catalan Parliament, Carme Fordcadell, told political parties that Carles Puigdemont would not be travelling to the Senate in Madrid to defend his government as part of the Article 155 process to suspend home rule in the region. On Thursday, Mr. Puigdemont did not make that journey; he did not take that last chance to guarantee dialogue and explain. Mrs. Forcadell also pushed the regional parliamentary session on Article 155 back to 4 p.m. on Thursday, then to 5 p.m, and finally to 6 p.m. Mr. Puigdemont has left it up to the regional parliament to decide what to do about a declaration of independence.

It is now very likely the measures the central government has asked the Senate to approve will pass without incident on Friday, given the overall majority held by the Popular Party in the upper house. At some point on Saturday morning, following Mr. Puigdemont's rejection of elections, he and the rest of his separatist regional government will be out of a job. The Spanish Prime Minister's office, Moncloa, has confirmed "out" means "out": no appointments, no ceremonial duties, no "in name only", no jobs, no salaries. When the central government applies Article 155, Puigdemont ceases to be the First Minister of Catalonia, and his regional ministers with him.

The Spanish Prime Minister's office, Moncloa, had confirmed this week that the only way Mr. Puigdemont could deactivate the Article 155 procedure would be to call those early regional elections—normal ones, within the Spanish Constitution—and to make it very clear he did not declare any kind of independence on October 10. This despite the Deputy PM and the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) suggesting early elections of any sort might do the trick. On Wednesday, Moncloa confirmed it had brought forward the cabinet meeting to implement the Article 155 measures—after the Senate approves them on Friday morning—from Saturday morning to Friday evening: immediately.

Deputy First Minister Oriol Junqueras told The Associated Press on Wednesday evening that there was now “no other option” but to proclaim a new republic. Mr. Puigdemont posted on Instagram that "We will not lose time with those who have already decided to crush Catalan self-government. Onwards!". They now have nothing to lose. Comments by the Director of Public Prosecutions in the media about long jail sentences for charges of rebellion appear to have had little effect.

Despite not having any international allies, no army, a divided regional police force and more than 1,500 companies that have already moved their corporate addresses outside of the region due to the manifestly illegal and unconstitutional plan to secede from Spain, without even a clear popular mandate, Mr. Puigdemont and Catalan separatists now appear determined to push ahead and declare independence from Spain anyway, in a very, very reckless manner.

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