Spokesman:

Catalan Officials Won’t Follow Madrid Orders, But Will of Catalan People

TEHRAN (defapress) - Catalan authorities will not follow orders from Madrid, but will only listen to the will of the Catalan people, Catalonia’s Foreign Affairs spokesman said.

News ID: 66630

Date: 23 October 2017 - 14:02

All institutions, including police, need to follow instructions from the democratically-elected Catalan government, the region’s foreign affairs spokesman, Raul Romeva, told BBC radio.

According to the official, EU democracy cannot be trusted if it allows Madrid to impose direct rule on Catalonia, RT reported.

"How can the European Union live with that situation if it appears?” he said, "How can they be credible if they allow this to happen? Because what I can tell you is that the people and the institutions in Catalonia would not let this… happen.”

In the meantime, Spanish Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria said that Madrid has not had any contact with the Catalan regional government since Saturday, Reuters reported.

The Spanish government may choose a single representative to temporarily govern Catalonia, she added.

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont will lose his powers and no longer receive a salary if the Senate approves direct intervention, Santamaria said.

The Senate is expected to approve the measures against Catalonia on Friday, she added.