Catalan leader calls for end to 'indisputable unity' of Spain

"The only
way to
restore
democratic
and
political normality is a paradigm shift,"
said Sànchez. "Spain has to
exchange the principle of the
indisputable unity of the
homeland for the principle of
the indisputable mandate of the popular will of citizens
expressed at the ballot box." The Spanish government's
direct control over the region
lapsed on Saturday after the
new Catalan president, the
hardline nationalist Quim Torra, abandoned plans to reappoint jailed or fugitive
members of the previous
administration. Catalonia is divided over the independence issue: the
overwhelming majority of
Catalans want a referendum
agreed by the central and
regional governments, and
the vote called by the ndeposed Catalan president
Carles Puigdemont was
shunned by unionists. 90% of
participants opted for
independence on a turnout of
42%. "We are facing an
indisputable democratic
challenge," said Sànchez.
"We are debating whether to
move towards the 21st
century or to cling to the Francoist impos