In
a crowd outside Catalonia's ornate regional headquarters in Barcelona,
two men argued fervently. One was for independence from Spain, the other
against.
Like
others elsewhere in Catalonia, Xaui Nicolau, 41, and Juan Antonio
Martinez, 67, argued over whether the northeastern region's president,
Carles Puigdemont, had miscalculated by refusing to renounce
secessionist aims.
Puigdemont,
in a speech Thursday, ruled out early parliamentary elections — some
observers thought holding the elections might help stave off Madrid's
takeover — but not independence.
Now,
with the Spanish government poised to strip Catalonia of its regional
autonomy and remove Puigdemont as soon as Saturday, Nicolau said a
unilateral declaration of independence was "the only option" remaining.
But
Martinez, like officials in Madrid, staunchly insisted that Catalonia's
independence drive was illegal. "It's the way you did it," he said.
"It's not constitutional." Spain's
Senate is to vote Friday on implementing direct rule in Catalonia to
quell its independence bid — a step never before taken in Spain's
democratic era by the central government.
After
Puigdemont spoke, the regional parliament convened to try to plot a
course in the face of Spain's looming deadline. The talk continued into
the night before recessing until Friday morning.
Read more: - Catalonia braces for Spain takeover as two sides remain deadlocked – L
