Catalonia's internal divisions ahead of decisive moment

Political parties in Catalonia are locked in a bitter dispute ahead of two meetings that will decide the region's future.

The future of Spain in general and of Catalonia in particular is facing a decisive moment. According to the plan, on October 26 and 27, two meetings will take place that are of key significance in resolving the current Catalan crisis.

The first meeting of the Catalan Parliament will take place at 4:00 p.m. today, October 26, local time in Barcelona, ​​for the parties in Catalonia to present a unified view on whether to unilaterally declare independence for the region, or seek a compromise with the Spanish central government.

Catalan people protest for independence. Photo: Reuters

At about the same time, a committee of the Spanish Senate will meet to consider proposals from Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's government to invoke Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, and will put it to a vote on October 27.

Before the decisive moment, the internal factions in Catalonia are seriously divided, between the hard-line center-left and left-wing factions, who want to declare independence for Catalonia on the afternoon of October 26, and the moderate faction, mainly from the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) and the center-right party (PdeCat) of President Carles Puigdemont, who want to choose the solution of early regional elections to reopen the opportunity for dialogue with the Spanish central government.

Marta Rovira, a hard-line centre-left politician, said “it is the duty of the Catalan leaders to follow the results of the October 1 referendum and move towards an independent republic”, while Santi Vila, the Catalan minister for business, warned that up to 1,500 companies had left Catalonia since the beginning of October and that the current crisis needed to end as soon as possible.

There are also heated arguments among the top leaders of the Catalan government. The political daily La Vanguardia reported that the Catalan leadership had a heated argument on October 24, while another daily, El Periodico, said that the Catalan government's number two, Oriol Junqueras, did not want to make any statement, while Carles Puigdemont will likely choose to stay in Barcelona to address the Catalan Parliament on the afternoon of October 26 rather than appear before the Spanish Senate.

Analysts say that in the current context of strong internal divisions, coupled with increasing pressure from the Spanish central government, Mr. Carles Puigdemont will likely maintain an ambiguous strategy, neither declaring nor giving up the demand for independence for Catalonia, and will wait for the firmness of the decisions from the Spanish Senate on October 27 to react./.

According to VOV