Barcelona does not stop despite threats from Madrid. The Catalans continue straight on their way, regardless of the increasingly strong reaction of the central government.
President Carles Puigdemont is determined to move forward towards 'disconnection' from the motherland and begins to think about the possible way out for a secession which, based on the promises made over the last few months, should arrive in the summer of 2017.
The spokeswoman for the Catalan government Neus Monté also confirmed the announced timing, according to which the pro-independence institutions of Barcelona want close the 'process' in a yeardespite threats from the government in Madrid and the Spanish constitutional court.
Based on forecasts, there could be two paths to follow to achieve independence: a new referendum, unilateral or agreed with Madrid (the latter hypothesis is remote) or alternatively the convening of 'constituent' elections of the new “Republic”.
It is a pity that for both the central government and the Spanish constitutional judges both options continue to be illegal and unconstitutional.
On Sunday during the independence celebrations of the Diada, the Catalan national holiday, held three days ago Puigdemont also announced that by the end of September he will present a formal proposal concerning the holding of a binding referendum on independence, with the intention of reaching an agreement with Spain, which is currently facing a nine-month-long political crisis and with the prospect of returning to the polls for the third time in a year.
In the meantime, on 20 September the Spanish Constitutional Court could start the procedure for dismissing the president of the Catalan Parliament Carme Forcadell, for "disobedience" which, however, Barcelona has no intention of accepting. Eight days later, the president will ask for the confidence of his deputies and will formulate the referendum proposal which Madrid, in all likelihood, will return to the sender.
