Madrid,
Nov 13: Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has said regional elections
next month in Catalonia will help end "separatist havoc" in the
north-eastern region, the BBC reported.
He addressed a campaign event on his first visit there since imposing direct rule on the region a fortnight ago. Defending his decision in Barcelona, he said he had "exhausted all roads" after the Catalan Government's unilateral declaration of independence last month. Speaking at a campaign event in Barcelona for his Popular Party (PP) on Sunday, Mr Rajoy called on the participation of the "silent majority" to "convert their voice into a vote". "We must reclaim Catalonia from the havoc of separatism," he added, saying: "With democracy, we want to reclaim Catalonia for everyone." He told PP supporters that the right result would boost Spain's economic growth next year to above 3 per cent. He called on companies not to leave the region, after hundreds of firms moved their headquarters away amid uncertainty over the region - which accounts for a fifth of Spain's economy. He also urged people in Spain to continue buying Catalan products. For a short while, the man who ultimately runs Catalonia was in Catalonia. But Mariano Rajoy's advisers made sure he would not run into vocal pro-independence opponents. Instead, he spoke to the party faithful. Mr Rajoy's main campaign event was held inside a hotel ballroom, in front of mostly older supporters. Spain's Prime Minister came here in order to win the regional Catalan election he's called for 21 December. His People's Party doesn't command widespread support in this region. But the pro-Spain Movement as a whole makes up about half the population of Catalonia. An election victory for this sector would make it much harder for pro-independence forces to make another attempt to break away from Spain.
After speaking for 25 minutes, Mr Rajoy posed for pictures and made his way out of the hotel amid a crush of supporters. He said he will meet the opponents but did not spell out a time-frame. Several key Catalan leaders are currently being detained over the move. Some 750,000 people protested in Barcelona on Saturday against the arrests, local police estimated. The crisis was sparked by a disputed referendum held in Catalonia in October, which had been declared illegal by the Spanish courts. Catalan officials said the independence campaign won 92% of the vote, from a turnout of 43%. Many of those who were against independence did not cast votes, refusing to recognise the legitimacy of the referendum. The Catalan Government subsequently declared independence. In response, the Spanish government dissolved the region's parliament, imposed direct rule and called a snap regional election on 21 December. The sacked former ministers are accused of alleged rebellion and sedition, while the two activists were arrested over a mass protest before the referendum. The left-wing ERC party, a key ally of Mr Puigdemont, has announced that some of the prisoners, including party leader Oriol Junqueras, as well as some of the sacked ministers who also went to Belgium, will stand on its electoral list. However, the ERC has rejected a call from Mr Puigdemont to fight the election as part of a single pro-independence bloc with other parties - as they did in 2015. A recent opinion poll in Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia suggests that the ERC will win the biggest share of the vote in December. Mr Rajoy's PP won just 8.5% of the vote in the last regional elections two years ago.
In another development, the mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, has condemned Catalonia's pro-independence leaders, the BBC said. UNI
He addressed a campaign event on his first visit there since imposing direct rule on the region a fortnight ago. Defending his decision in Barcelona, he said he had "exhausted all roads" after the Catalan Government's unilateral declaration of independence last month. Speaking at a campaign event in Barcelona for his Popular Party (PP) on Sunday, Mr Rajoy called on the participation of the "silent majority" to "convert their voice into a vote". "We must reclaim Catalonia from the havoc of separatism," he added, saying: "With democracy, we want to reclaim Catalonia for everyone." He told PP supporters that the right result would boost Spain's economic growth next year to above 3 per cent. He called on companies not to leave the region, after hundreds of firms moved their headquarters away amid uncertainty over the region - which accounts for a fifth of Spain's economy. He also urged people in Spain to continue buying Catalan products. For a short while, the man who ultimately runs Catalonia was in Catalonia. But Mariano Rajoy's advisers made sure he would not run into vocal pro-independence opponents. Instead, he spoke to the party faithful. Mr Rajoy's main campaign event was held inside a hotel ballroom, in front of mostly older supporters. Spain's Prime Minister came here in order to win the regional Catalan election he's called for 21 December. His People's Party doesn't command widespread support in this region. But the pro-Spain Movement as a whole makes up about half the population of Catalonia. An election victory for this sector would make it much harder for pro-independence forces to make another attempt to break away from Spain.
After speaking for 25 minutes, Mr Rajoy posed for pictures and made his way out of the hotel amid a crush of supporters. He said he will meet the opponents but did not spell out a time-frame. Several key Catalan leaders are currently being detained over the move. Some 750,000 people protested in Barcelona on Saturday against the arrests, local police estimated. The crisis was sparked by a disputed referendum held in Catalonia in October, which had been declared illegal by the Spanish courts. Catalan officials said the independence campaign won 92% of the vote, from a turnout of 43%. Many of those who were against independence did not cast votes, refusing to recognise the legitimacy of the referendum. The Catalan Government subsequently declared independence. In response, the Spanish government dissolved the region's parliament, imposed direct rule and called a snap regional election on 21 December. The sacked former ministers are accused of alleged rebellion and sedition, while the two activists were arrested over a mass protest before the referendum. The left-wing ERC party, a key ally of Mr Puigdemont, has announced that some of the prisoners, including party leader Oriol Junqueras, as well as some of the sacked ministers who also went to Belgium, will stand on its electoral list. However, the ERC has rejected a call from Mr Puigdemont to fight the election as part of a single pro-independence bloc with other parties - as they did in 2015. A recent opinion poll in Catalan newspaper La Vanguardia suggests that the ERC will win the biggest share of the vote in December. Mr Rajoy's PP won just 8.5% of the vote in the last regional elections two years ago.
In another development, the mayor of Barcelona, Ada Colau, has condemned Catalonia's pro-independence leaders, the BBC said. UNI
