Puigdemont insists on referendum in online debate

The President of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, in an online chat open to the public, said his government was not planning for a unilateral declaration of independence, arguing that the self-determination referendum planned for October 1 is the “best declaration a country can make”. During the chat, which took place Wednesday on the Catalan mobile app ZoneTacts, Puigdemont said: “There will be polling stations open and nothing will be able to prevent them from opening normally.”