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| Catalonia independence: Puigdemont 'will not accept' Rajoy plan | Catalonia independence: Puigdemont 'will not accept' Rajoy plan |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Catalan President Carles Puigdemont says Catalonia will not accept Madrid's plan to curb the region's autonomy. | Catalan President Carles Puigdemont says Catalonia will not accept Madrid's plan to curb the region's autonomy. |
| In a statement, he described the imposition of direct rule as the worst attack on Catalonia's institutions since the Franco dictatorship. | In a statement, he described the imposition of direct rule as the worst attack on Catalonia's institutions since the Franco dictatorship. |
| Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy's plans include the removal of Catalonia's leaders, and curbs on its parliament. | |
| It follows the independence referendum that went ahead despite being banned by Spain's Constitutional Court. | It follows the independence referendum that went ahead despite being banned by Spain's Constitutional Court. |
| Mr Puigdemont said the Spanish government was acting against the democratic will of Catalans after refusing all offers of dialogue. | |
| He said he would call for a session in the Catalan parliament to debate a response to Mr Rajoy's plans. | |
| Addressing European citizens in English, he added that the European Union's founding values were "at risk in Catalonia". | |
| Earlier Mr Rajoy said he was triggering article 155 of the Spanish constitution, which allows for direct rule to be imposed in a crisis on any of the country's semi-autonomous regions. | |
| Speaking after an emergency cabinet meeting on Saturday, Mariano Rajoy stopped short of dissolving the region's parliament but put forward plans for elections. | |
| It comes after the Catalonia regional government held a referendum on 1 October to ask residents of the region if they wanted to break away from Spain. | |
| Of the 43% of Catalans said to have taken part, 90% voted in favour of independence. But many anti-independence supporters boycotted the ballot, arguing it was not valid. | |
| Mr Puigdemont and other regional leaders then signed a declaration of independence, but immediately suspended it in order to allow for talks. | |
| He then defied two deadlines set by the national government to clarify Catalonia's position. |