Rallies are expected in Spain against Catalonian independence, after Sunday’s disputed referendum.<\/p>\n
Demonstrations are planned in the capital Madrid and other cities, with supporters calling for a similar rally in Catalonia’s capital Barcelona.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Spain’s government representative in Catalonia earlier apologised to those hurt during police efforts to stop the referendum.
\nBut Enric Millo blamed the Catalan government for holding an illegal vote.<\/p>\n
In the first apology by a Spanish government official over the violence during the referendum, Mr Millo said he could not help but “regret it and apologise on behalf of the officers that intervened”.<\/p>\n
Hundreds of people were injured as police, trying to enforce a Spanish court ban on the vote, attempted to seize ballot boxes and disperse voters.<\/p>\n
Thirty-three police officers were also hurt.<\/p>\n
Catalan President Carles Puigdemont now plans to address the Catalan parliament on Tuesday at 18:00 local time (16:00 GMT), the speaker of the parliament in the autonomous north-eastern region says.<\/p>\n
Spain’s Constitutional Court had earlier suspended the Catalan parliament session that had been planned for Monday.<\/p>\n
There is speculation that the parliament will declare independence unilaterally at its next sitting, based on the referendum.<\/p>\n
The final results from the poll show 90% of the 2.3m people who voted backed independence. Turnout was 43%.<\/p>\n
There have been several claims of irregularities, and many ballot boxes were seized by the Spanish police.<\/p>\n
After a cabinet meeting, the Spanish government spokesman also expressed regret that people had “suffered consequences” during Sunday’s vote – though he cast doubt on the numbers who had been injured.<\/p>\n
\u00cd\u00f1igo M\u00e9ndez de Vigo suggested that new elections in Catalonia might be a way to heal the fracture caused by the disputed referendum.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, the former leader of Catalonia, Artur Mas, told the Financial Times that the region was not yet ready for real independence – even though he believed it had won the right to break away.<\/p>\n
Stepping back from the brink?<\/strong> There are some signs that each side may choose to pause. Mr Puigdemont says he will deliver a report to the Catalan parliament on Tuesday about the political situation – a deliberately vague form of words which gives him room for manoeuvre. Source: BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Rallies are expected in Spain against Catalonian independence, after Sunday’s disputed referendum. Demonstrations are planned in the capital Madrid and other cities, with supporters calling for a similar rally in Catalonia’s capital Barcelona. Meanwhile, Spain’s government representative in Catalonia earlier apologised to those hurt during police efforts to stop the referendum. But Enric Millo blamed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[107,11],"tags":[398,110,111],"yoast_head":"\n
\nThe competing authorities in Barcelona and Madrid could each take a potentially dramatic step. Barcelona has the option of making a unilateral declaration of independence. For its part, Madrid has the power to dissolve self-rule in Catalonia. Each step – if taken – would provoke a constitutional crisis in Spain.<\/p>\n
\n–<\/p>\n