As soon as Carles Puigdemont’s speech in the Catalan Autonomous Parliament ended, sources in the presidential palace told ABC that we have witnessed “an attempt to blackmail the State broadcast live.”
“The government will not give in to any blackmail, it will not allow it,” said the same sources, who have stressed that the statement this afternoon “will have legal consequences” for Puigdemont. The Government believes that Puigdemont has made an implicit declaration of independence.
According to government sources, Madrid considers it unacceptable to validate the referendum law, suspended by the Constitutional Court. The alleged recount of a fraudulent and illegal referendum cannot be considered valid.
“It cannot be taken for granted that the Catalans have said that they want independence. Nor is it permissible to make an implicit declaration of independence and then leave it in abeyance explicitly,” they emphasized.
At the moment, President Rajoy, and the vice president Sáenz de Santamaría are in contact with the minister of Justice, Interior and Property, to analyze the measures that will be taken.