Spain-Catalonia: 'The door is open for dialogue with Madrid,' says Carles Puigdemont

Carles Puigdemont is president of Spain’s Catalonia region. As national authorities crack down on the region’s preparations for an October 1 independence referendum that Madrid says is illegal, Puigdemont has accused the national government of adopting a “totalitarian attitude”.

Puigdemont spoke with FRANCE 24’s Caroline de Camaret and RFI’s Sophie Malibeaux about the political crisis with Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s government and the potential consequences independence would have on Catalonia’s relationship with the European Union.

Asked why he won’t bow to pressure and call off the referendum, the Catalan leader told FRANCE 24 that regional elections provided the mandate to hold this vote. “This is not something we can cancel. We cannot say no to what has already been approved by the citizens. They decided on this through the ballot box,” Puigdemont said from Barcelona.

Read more: 'The door is open for dialogue with Madrid,' says Carles Puigdemont - France 24

Spain Catalonia: Ballot papers for banned referendum to be seized

The vote on breaking away from Spain, planned for 1 October, has been suspended by the constitutional court.

But Catalonia's pro-independence government says it will still go ahead.

As a result, the Public Prosecutor's Office instructed security forces to take everything which could help with the "consummation of the crime".

This includes promotional materials and the ballots themselves, Spanish newspaper El Pais reports [in Spanis

The order came as Spanish tennis champion Rafael Nadal came out strongly against the plans.
 
Read more: Spain Catalonia: Ballot papers for banned referendum to be seized - BBC News