Catalan Foreign Affairs minister, Raül Romeva, has this Thursday shown himself in favour of the Catalan parliament approving a declaration of independence within 48 hours of the referendum result being announced, if the result is a win for the 'yes' side. Romeva was speaking in a press conference in Brussels to explain the Catalan government's position on the vote convened for Sunday 1st October, suspended by Spain's Constitutional Court.
After noting that surveys show more than 80% of Catalans want to vote, including people both in favour of and against independence, Romeva outlined two scenarios.
According to his comments today, if the referendum's result is a win for 'no', "we'll admit it, we'll resign and we'll call regional elections". If, on the other hand, 'yes' wins, 48 hours after the publication of the results, "the Catalan Parliament" will approve a declaration of independence".
Last Tuesday, around the presentation of a prize in Brussels to the speaker of the Catalan Parliament, Carme Forcadell, he was asked if there would be a unilateral declaration of independence if the vote doesn't take place or the turnout wasn't representative, to which he replied that it was a question for the "executive [branch], not the legislative".
Romeva showed no doubt that the referendum will take place and insisted that Spain is violating article 2 of the EU Lisbon Treaty about the respect for freedom and the rule of law, and called on the European Commission and the European Parliament to warn them of the need to comply with the article.
In his statement to the media, the minister insisted on the need to open a "political dialogue" in which each party explains their position, "but without preconditions". He also complained that there are "mayors in these moments that are legally persecuted".
Romeva said that "the credibility of democracy in Spain" is in doubt. Asked if he's worried that unrest might bubble up in Catalonia on Sunday, he replied that "there have never been acts of violence in the large-scale demonstrations held in Barcelona" and said that the Catalan institutions "have always been against acts of violence".
Some 60 correspondents from news agencies, radio and TV stations and international newspapers attended the press conference. They included AFP, the Wall Street Journal, the Associated Press, Reuters, Euronews and Deutsche Welle.