Spain condemns 'blackmail' of Puigdemont

MADRID - Spain's government has said it will not accept "blackmail" after the Catalan leader indicated that independence could be declared next week.

Carles Puigdemont must return to the path of law before any negotiation could take place, the Madrid government said in a statement (in Spanish).

His criticism of the king showed he was "out of touch with reality", it added.

Catalan officials say 90 percent of those who voted in a disputed referendum on Sunday backed independence.

Organisers put the turnout on Sunday at 42 percent, with 2.2 million people taking part. But there were several reports of irregularities.

There was violence at polling stations as police, trying to enforce a Spanish court decision to ban the vote, attempted to seize ballot boxes and disperse voters.

The threat that independence could unilaterally be declared is being taken seriously by Catalan businesses.

King Felipe VI made a TV address on Tuesday night, calling Sunday's vote illegal and undemocratic.

Puigdemont attacked him for "deliberately ignoring millions of Catalans" and accused the king of adopting the Spanish government's position.

"This moment calls for mediation," he said in a televised statement late on Wednesday. He claimed that the king had rejected a moderating role granted to him by the Spanish constitution.

Puigdemont told the BBC on Tuesday that he would declare independence "at the end of this week or the beginning of next."