Call for fresh Catalan polls

Madrid : Spain appeared to offer Catalonia’s separatists a last-minute way out of their standoff with the central government on Wednesday, suggesting fresh elections in the region could resolve the country’s worst political crisis in decades.

Hours before Catalan president Carles Puigdemont faces a 10:00 am (0800 GMT) Thursday deadline to say whether or not he is declaring independence, a government source said that elections “could be considered a return to legality”.

The government had earlier warned Puigdemont that unless he backs down, Madrid will start proceedings to take direct control over the semi-autonomous region.

With its own language and culture, Catalonia is proud of its autonomy but its 7.5 million people are deeply divided over independence.

There are fears that moving to impose direct rule could inflame tensions in a crisis that has already sparked huge street rallies, prompted hundreds of companies to decamp to other parts of Spain, and rattled EU neighbours.

Spain has been in limbo since Catalonia held a banned independence referendum on October 1, which prompted a heavy police crackdown that drew international condemnation.

Puigdemont issued a cryptic “suspended” declaration of independence following the vote, saying he wanted time for talks with the central government -- a prospect Madrid has
rejected.

“All I ask of Mr Puigdemont is that he acts with good sense,” Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy told parliament Wednesday as the government threatened to trigger Article 155 of Spain’s constitution, a never-before-used provision that would allow it to suspend Catalan autonomy.

But there were increasing indications that elections are being considered as a way to steer clear of these uncharted waters.

Elections sanctioned by Madrid -- unlike the referendum, which the Constitutional Court ruled illegal -- would allow Catalan voters to have a say on how to move forward.