Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont drop plans to break from Spain

Adekunle Adewunmi

Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont is facing growing pressure to drop plans to break from Spain ahead of a key address to the regional parliament.

There have been speculations that he could announce a unilateral declaration of independence following a disputed referendum.

France and Germany have both expressed support for a united Spain.

The Mayor of Barcelona urged Mr Puigdemont and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy to de-escalate the crisis.

Ahead of Mr Puigdemont’s speech to the Catalan parliament on Tuesday evening, Mayor Ada Colau urged him not to declare independence and also called on Mr Rajoy to rule out direct control from Madrid.