Spanish PM demands clarification of Catalan independence move

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Wednesday said he has asked Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont to confirm whether or not he has declared independence.

Rajoy gave a press conference following an emergency cabinet meeting convened the morning after Catalan President Carles Puigdemont told his Parliament that "Catalonia had won the right to become independent" but that he would "suspend an official declaration for some weeks" to allow for talks with Madrid.
Rajoy accused Puigdemont of creating "deliberate confusion" and said that the Spanish government needed to know whether or not he had declared the northeastern region independent from Spain, BBC reported.

The Spanish Prime Minister said his government would base its response on the answer it was given, including any measures it might take invoking a constitutional clause allowing for direct rule.

Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution would allow Rajoy to suspend Catalonia's autonomy and impose direct rule from Madrid.

"This call -- ahead of any of the measures that the government may adopt under Article 155 of our Constitution -- seeks to offer citizens the clarity and security that a question of such importance requires," Rajoy said.
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