By 30 October, work had resumed as normal throughout Catalonia as the Spanish government's takeover met with little resistance from Catalan authorities.[9] Puigdemont and part of his cabinet fled to Belgium to escape action from the Spanish judiciary,[10][11][12] having been formally accused ofrebellion,sedition andembezzlement by theSpanish Attorney General.[13][14] The independence declaration was suspended by theConstitutional Court of Spain on the next day.[15] Eight members of the deposed Catalan government—including Puigdemont's deputy andERC leader,Oriol Junqueras—were ordered to be remanded to custody without bail on 2 November for posing a flight risk, with a ninth being granted a bail, with Spanish prosecutors seeking aEuropean Arrest Warrant for Puigdemont and four other members refusing to attend the hearing.[16][17]
Anindependence referendum, which was deemed unconstitutional by theSpanish government and suspended by theConstitutional Court of Spain,[18][19][20] was held in Catalonia on 1 October 2017. The referendum question, to which voters answered with a "Yes" or "No", was: "Do you want Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic?". The "Yes" side won, with 2,044,038 (92.01%) voting for independence and 177,547 (7.99%) voting against, albeit on a registered turnout of 43.03% and amid questions about compliance with basic voting regulations.[21][22][23][24]
In an ambiguous speech during a parliamentary session in the Parliament of Catalonia on 10 October, Puigdemont declared that "Catalonia had earned the right to be an independent state" and that he defended "the mandate of the people of Catalonia to become an independent republic". However, he immediately announced that parliament should suspend a formal declaration of independence in order to pursue dialogue with the Spanish government. Puigdemont and other pro-independence deputies then signed a symbolic declaration of independence with no legal effect.[25] On 11 October, after an extraordinary cabinet meeting intended to address the events on the previous day, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced he was formally requiring the Catalan government to confirm whether it had declared independence before 16 October at 10am, with a further three-day deadline until 19 October to revoke all deemed illegal acts if an affirmative answer—or no answer at all—was obtained.[26] This requirement was a formal requisite needed to trigger article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, a so-called "nuclear option" that would allow the Spanish government to suspend Catalonia's political autonomy and impose direct rule from Madrid.[27][28][29] Pressure mounted within the pro-independence coalition as the CUP demanded an unambiguous affirmation of Catalan independence, threatening to withdraw its parliamentary support from Puigdemont's government if he rescinded his independence claim.[30] In his formal response to Rajoy's requirement hurrying the initial five-day deadline, Puigdemont failed to clarify whether independence had been declared and instead called for negotiations over the following two months.[31][32] The Spanish government replied that this was not a valid response to its requirement and doubted that Puigdemont's offer for dialogue was sincere due to his lack of "clarity".[33][34] The refusal from the Catalan government to either confirm or deny independence triggered a second deadline for them to backtrack before direct rule was imposed.[35][36]
On 19 October, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy confirmed that the Spanish government would trigger Article 155 and move to suspend Catalonia's autonomy after a cabinet meeting scheduled for 21 October, following a letter from Puigdemont in which he said that the independence declaration remained suspended but that the Catalan parliament could choose to vote on it if Spain continued its "repression".[37] Subsequently, Rajoy announced the Spanish government would take direct control over the Generalitat of Catalonia, proceeding to remove Puigdemont and the entire Catalan government from their offices and call a regional election within six months, pendingSenate approval.[38][39][40]
Special Senate Commission on the Invocation of Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution (presidency)
Whilst crowds outside the parliament building celebrated the declaration, the Spanish flag remained flying over theCatalan government palace.[45] Other government offices also continued to fly the Spanish flag.[46] However, the Spanish flag was removed from the town-hall inGirona andSabadell.[47][48]
Soon after Rajoy's announcement, Director Pere Soler i Campins of theMossos d'Esquadra, Catalonia's autonomous police force, sent a farewell letter in which he acknowledged his removal by the Spanish government.[49] MajorJosep Lluís Trapero also acknowledged his dismissal and asked Catalan police officers to remain "loyal" to his successor.[50]
Members of the deposed Catalan government before testifying at the Spanish National Court in Madrid.
While some media outlets hinted that the Puigdemont-led Catalan government was not going to resist the Spanish takeover of thegovernment of Catalonia,[51] Puigdemont did not consider himself dismissed, asserting that it is parliaments "who elect or remove governments", and asked Catalans to "democratically oppose" the enforcement of Article 155. He, however, did not clarify whether he would acknowledge or refuse the Spanish government's orders.[7][8]
On Monday, 30 October, Parliament SpeakerCarme Forcadell called off a parliamentary meeting scheduled for the next day because the chamber "had been dissolved", thus acknowledging Mariano Rajoy's order.[52] Later that day, it transpired that Puigdemont and part of his dismissed cabinet had fled to Belgium in a move to avoid action from the Spanish judiciary,[10][11] as theSpanish Attorney GeneralJosé Manuel Maza announced acriminal complaint against them forrebellion,sedition andembezzlement.[13][14] Concurrently, lack of civil unrest and work resuming as normal throughout Catalonia showed signs that direct rule from Madrid had taken hold, with Spanish authorities reasserting administrative control over Catalan territory with little resistance.[9][12] On 31 October, the independence declaration was suspended by theConstitutional Court of Spain.[15]
On 2 November, theSpanish National Court ordered that eight members of the deposed Catalan government—including former Vice President andERC leaderOriol Junqueras—be remanded in custody without bail after being summoned to appear to respond to the criminal charges pressed against them, with a ninth—Santi Vila—being granted a €50,000 bail.European Arrest Warrants were issued for Puigdemont and his four other cabinet members who fled to Brussels and refused to attend.[16][17]
No sovereign nation has given the Catalan Republic full, formal recognition.[53] The following countries have issued statements in support of Spain's territorial integrity and constitutional order:[54][55]
Belgium[141] stated that they view the declaration of independence of Catalonia is part of an internal conflict that must be resolved through dialogue, and that "We want the dialogue to take place and there is an ability to consult within Spain – it is first and foremost a Spanish problem".
Pakistan has expressed hopes that "the issue will be amicably settled in compliance with the Spanish constitution and law through dialogue and negotiations".[142].
Slovenia has stated that "it advocated the right of nations for self-determination, which must be expressed and executed democratically".[143]
Hungary issued a statement saying that "the declaration of Catalonian independence is a matter of Spanish internal affairs".[144]
Israel initially was silent regarding the referendum, although one government minister retorted on Twitter about the "hypocrisy" of Spanish demands that Israel give national rights to Palestinians given the refusal to allow a referendum in Catalonia[145] and Hamodia reported that there was sympathy for the Catalan separatists among the Israeli public.[146] When the Spanish government requested an "expression of disapproval of Catalan secession",[146] Israel issued a statement saying "Israel hopes that the internal crisis in Spain will be resolved quickly and peacefully and through broad national consensus",[146] which was seen as avoiding taking either the Spanish government or Catalan separatist side.[145][147]. Later on, Israel's president, Reuven Rivlin, claimed during his visit state visit to Spain that "Spain for us is one country, and His Majesty the King is the symbol of that unity"[148]
Venezuela's Foreign MinisterJorge Arreaza expressed solidarity with the Catalan people and called for the release of "political prisoners".[149][150]
As a region of Spain, theautonomous community of Catalonia is also part of theEuropean Union (EU),eurozone, andSchengen Area. Prior to the declaration, there was debate as to whether an independent Catalonia would retain membership in the EU and associated international arrangements, or would, upon independence, find itself outside of these arrangements. The secession of part of a member nation is not specifically addressed in the EU's treaties, though legal opinions have been offered both in the case of Catalonia and during the debate around the2014 Scottish independence referendum.[151][152] The "Prodi doctrine" followed by theEuropean Commission states that a seceding state would exit the EU and would have to apply for membership as an external nation.[153]
President of the European CouncilDonald Tusk stated that the independence declaration "changed nothing" and that theEuropean Union would only deal with the Spanish government, while also urging Spain to use "force of argument, not argument of force."[154]
A spokesperson for United Nations Secretary GeneralAntónio Guterres told reporters "We are trying to follow up on the developments. For now the Secretary General encourages all concerned to seek solutions within the framework of the Spanish constitution and through established political and legal channels."[155]
NATO Secretary GeneralJens Stoltenberg commented on the issue that the "Catalonia issue must be resolved within Spain's constitutional order. Spain is a committed ally, with important contributions to our security".[156][157]
On November 1, Mahmud Afifi, the spokesman for theArab League, rejected Catalonia's independence saying that future of states must be decided within constitutions, not by rejecting it. He added "We trust in the capacity of the Spanish Government and its democratic institutions to preserve the constitutional system in the country and to guarantee the rights and freedoms of all citizens within the framework of sovereignty, law and democratic principles".[158][159]
TheMinister-President of Flanders,Geert Bourgeois, showed support for the Catalan Republic, but acknowledged that any form of recognition is the purview only of theFederal Government of Belgium. After the arrests of several cabinet members of the Catalan Republic, he called it "a bridge too far" and urged the EU to intervene.[160][161] The President of theCorsican Assembly,Jean-Guy Talamoni, expressed his support for Catalan independence.[162] TheScottish Government voiced its support for theself-determination of the Catalan people, stating that they "understand and respect the position of the Catalan Government", further addidng that "While Spain has the right to oppose independence, the people of Catalonia must have the ability to determine their own future. Today’s Declaration of Independence came about only after repeated calls for dialogue were refused.".[163]
Abkhazia andSouth Ossetia have shown willingness in considering a formal recognition should they receive such a request from the Catalan government.[166][167] The Foreign Ministry of theRepublic of Artsakh issued a statement of support, saying "We consider it important that the resolution of the political crisis between Barcelona and Madrid is achieved by exclusively peaceful means, through dialogue."[168]
Taiwan stated that it "hopes for peaceful dialogue between central and regional governments of Spain to resolve the Catalonia issue."[169]
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