Puigdemont made a symbolic declaration of independence on Tuesday night, only to suspend it seconds later and call for negotiations with Madrid.
Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has given him until 10am (0900 GMT) today to clarify his position – and then until Thursday to change his mind if he insists on a split – threatening to suspend Catalonia’s autonomy if he chooses independence.
“The (Catalan) Government and I want to reiterate our commitment to peace, civility and serenity, and also to (...) democracy as inspiring the decisions we have to make,” Puigdemont said during at an event at Barcelona’s Montjuic cemetery.
Though Puigdemont did not indicate how he would reply to Madrid, public Catalan TV broadcaster TV-3 said he would not give a “yes” or “no” answer, but a more elaborate response.
