Spanish PM Vows to Prevent Catalan Independence

The Spanish government will prevent the situation, where a unilateral declaration of independence by the country's northeastern autonomous region of Catalonia would have any outcome, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said.

On October 1, Catalonia held the independence referendum, which is not recognized by the Spanish authorities. The official results of the vote show that 90.18 percent, or more than 2.28 million voters, favored secession of Catalonia from Spain, with turnout exceeding 43 percent.

"The government will resist the situation, when any declaration of [Catalonia's] independence would have any results," Rajoy said in an interview with El Pais newspaper published on Saturday.

The Spanish official added that the Catalan movement aimed at obtaining more autonomy for the region should be peaceful and be conducted "within the framework of treaties."