Decisive day for Catalonia: Puigdemont’s ultimatum is coming to an end

World News Nilgun Salim
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The ultimatum offered by Madrid to Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont is coming to an end

The Catalan leader’s deadline to suspend his attempts of obtaining Catalonia’s independence expired today.

Otherwise, the central government has announced they are about to suspend the autonomy of the region, reported BBC News.

Carles Puigdemont had a first ultimatum to clarify his final approach on the independence by Monday, at 10:00.

He called for negotiations on equal terms for the following two months.

More specifically, in a letter addressed to the central government, he did not directly answer the question whether his speech in the regional parliament represented a declaration of independence.

What are the options of Carles Puigdemont

The Catalan press writes that leader Puigdemont will continue his efforts on secession if the central government rejects his call for dialogue and suspends the autonomy of the region.

The Catalan leader may have an option to call early elections in the region, which means Madrid will not be able to rely on Article 155. However, the Catalan chief of diplomacy said that this option is not taken into account.

At the beginning of October, despite a ban on justice, a referendum on the independence of the region took place in Catalonia. According to the Catalan government, which could not be verified in the absence of an independent election commission, 90 per cent of those who voted said yes to Catalonia’s independence, but the voting rate was only 43 per cent.