Catalonia Spain: Catalan Leader Under Pressure Ahead Of Key Speech

Catalan President Carles Puigdemont is facing growing pressure to drop plans to break from Spain ahead of a key address to the regional parliament.

There has been speculation that he could announce a unilateral declaration of independence following a disputed referendum.

France and Germany have both expressed support for a united Spain.

The mayor of Barcelona urged Mr Puigdemont and Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy to “de-escalate” the crisis.

Ahead of Mr Puigdemont’s speech to the Catalan parliament on Tuesday evening, Mayor Ada Colau urged him not to declare independence and also called on Mr Rajoy to rule out direct control from Madrid.

The leader of Spain’s Socialist opposition party, Pedro Sanchez – who is also opposed to independence – weighed into the row.

He told reporters in Barcelona that he would back action from the Madrid government “in the face of any attempt to break social harmony” if independence was declared unilaterally.

The Spanish government has threatened to suspend the autonomy of the north-eastern region.