Spain's Rajoy urges 'democratic and free' Catalonia

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Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy visited Catalonia for the first time on Sunday since Madrid imposed direct rule on the region, a day after hundreds of thousands of Catalans marched to demand the release of jailed regional officials.

"We have to recover the sensible, practical, enterprising and dynamic Catalonia... that has contributed so much to the progress of Spain and Europe," Rajoy told members of his Popular Party in Barcelona.

"We want to regain a Catalonia for everyone, democratic and free," he added.

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy leaves the chamber during the weekly cabinet control session at Parliament in Madrid, Spain, November 8, 2017. /Reuters Photo

Rajoy's Party Popular won only 8.5 percent in Catalona's last election two years ago that saw pro-independence parties sweep to power.

Rajoy also urged businesses not to abandon Catalonia after hundreds of firms moved their legal headquarters away as uncertainty over the region's independence drags on. Rajoy asked "all businesses that work or have worked in Catalonia not to go" during this visit.

His visit comes two weeks after he dismissed Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, his government and the parliament, suspended the region’s autonomy and called for new elections there on December 21.

On Saturday, the demonstrators gathered on an avenue next to the regional parliament building waving Catalan independence flags and chanting “Freedom!” while some held up banners announcing: “SOS Democracy.”

People hold banners reading "Freedom" during a demonstration in Barcelona, November 11, 2017, calling for the release of jailed separatist leaders. /AFP Photo‍

Puigdemont and four ex-ministers say they are in Brussels because they cannot be guaranteed a fair trial back home.

“Although some of us are far away from you and others are in prison, we have an opportunity to express loudly and clearly that we want freedom and democracy,” Puigdemont told Catalan television.

The Catalonia crisis has caused concern in the European Union as the bloc deals with Brexit and uncertainty over the fate of the region’s 7.5 million people. More than 2,400 businesses have moved their legal headquarters elsewhere.

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Source(s): AFP ,Reuters