Catalonia Independence: Leaders struggle with prospect of secession

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Europe

Spain has been thrown into disarray in the wake of Catalonia's independence referendum. The back and forth between the government in Madrid and leaders in Barcelona is forcing big businesses to plan their departure from the region. Whether Catalonia leaves this divorce richer remains a major question. CGTN's Li Jianhua has the story.

Chaos and clashes after Catalonia's vote to leave Spain. Some want unity, some yearn for secession.

It's a scene right out of Game of Thrones, or from Europe's troubled past, when nations rose and fall, and monarchs demanded loyalty.

FELIPE VI SPANISH KING (The Catalan regional government) decisions have violated in a systematic way the rules legally and legitimately approved, demonstrating an inadmissible disloyalty towards the powers of the state. Precisely, a state to whom those authorities represent in Catalonia.

CARLES PUIGDEMONT CATALAN PRESIDENT And this is why the message the head of the State addressed to one part of the population, we cannot share or accept. The King made his speech the (same as the) politics of Rajoy's government that have been a catastrophe towards Catalonia and ignores deliberately the millions of Catalans who do not think like them.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy earlier went on record saying he wouldn't rule out the possibility of triggering article 155 of the Constitution which would enable Madrid to dissolve the Catalan parliament now led by Puidgemont.

The region's people make up about 16 percent of Spain's population. In terms of economic heft, Catalonia is even bigger, accounting for 20 percent of the country\'s GDP in 2016. @@About 90 percent of Catalan voters said yes to independence in the October referendum, which had a 43-percent turnout.

Local corporations are taking a stand. Caixabank, Spain's third-largest lender, energy giant Gas Natural, and telecom provider Eurona are moving their headquarters out of the region. Catalan voters have spoken. Now leaders in the region and Spain must answer. LJH, CGTN.