Referendum needs to change from 'impossible' to 'unavoidable,' says parliament speaker

The parliament speaker Roger Torrent called on the pro-independence camp to do its utmost to move from an impossible referendum to an unavoidable referendum."

In an event hosted by the Forum Europa political platform, Torrent suggested that the Spanish president Pedro Sánchez allow a vote in which citizens would be asked about both independence and Madrid's proposal for Catalonia, so that both projects could be "compared."

"If he has a proposal, let him bring it to a vote along with independence. Or is the problem that Sánchez is afraid of the answer? Is he afraid of asking citizens," he asked.

According to the parliament speaker, Sánchez needs to "decide whether on he tackles Catalonia's challenge thinking about the next election or about the coming generations and about solving the conflict."