Catalonia leader has 5 days to clarify his declaration

MADRID— Spanish authorities gave Catalonia’s separatist leader five days to explain whether his ambiguous statement on secession was a formal declaration of independence and warned Wednesday that his answer dictated whether they would apply never-used constitutional powers to curtail the region’s autonomy. Threatening to invoke a section of the Spanish constitution to assert control over the country’s rogue region, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Catalan president Carles Puigdemont’s response to the central government’s ultimatum would be crucial in deciding “events over the coming days.”

Puigdemont announced on Tuesday that he was using the victory in a banned Oct. 1 referendum to proceed with a declaration of Catalan independence, but proposed freezing its implementation for a few weeks to allow for dialogue and mediation with the government in Madrid.

His equivocal position seemed designed to appease the most fervent separatists, but also to build support — both in Catalonia and internationally — by provoking another tough response from Rajoy’s Cabinet. Spanish police used force to try to stop the referendum vote, producing images that elicited sympathy for the separatists.

Rajoy, whose government has been under fire for the police violence, blamed the Catalan separatists for inciting recent street protests and said that “nobody can be proud of the image” Spain has projected to the rest of the world.

If Puigdemont replies before Monday that he indeed proclaimed independence with his Tuesday announcement, he would have three more days to rectify the situation, according to a formal demand submitted by the central government Wednesday. That would mean abandoning implementation of the declaration Catalan separatist lawmakers signed establishing a new Catalan republic, the government said.