The Catalan government has reacted to the Spanish decision to hold a snap election in the region amid uncertainty over the independence bid.
“The people for years have decided democratically what kind of government they want. These institutions need to be preserved … No-one else but the people have the right to change those institutions,” Raul Romeva, Catalonia’s foreign affairs spokesman, told the BBC broadcaster on Monday.
The statement comes on the heels of the recent decision by the Spanish government to invoke Article 155 of the country’s Constitution, which could allow Madrid to dissolve the local parliament and to hold a snap election. These measures are set to be adopted on October 27 during the Spanish Senate meeting.
The spokesman has expressed the region’s position on the issue, adding that the European Union would lose credibility if it allowed Spain to deprive Catalonia of its autonomy.
“How can an EU democracy survive and how can they be credible if they allow this to happen? Because what I can tell you is that the people and the institutions in Catalonia will not let this happen.”
On October 26 the Catalan parliament is set to hold a meeting, at which independence of the Spanish region might be proclaimed, Spanish El Pais reported Monday. According to media, the decision was made at the parliament presidium’s meeting on Monday morning.
The Catalonia’s desire to gain independence from Spain has resulted in the October 1 referendum dubbed illegal by Madrid, where over 2.2 million Catalans supported the secession.
On October 10, Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont announced that the results of the referendum enabled the declaration of independence. However, he urged the regional parliament to postpone the proclamation in order to prepare the ground for a dialogue with Madrid.
The Spanish government has requested Puigdemont to clarify the region’s position on the separation bid by October 16. The decision to invoke Article 155 was taken as he failed to meet the deadline.
Carles Puigdemont has condemned this step, calling it “an attack on democracy” and has asked the region’s parliament to discuss a possible response.