Ex-Catalan president accepts snap election, says 'long road' to independence

Catalonia's oustedleader Carles Puigdemonthas agreed to the snap electioncalled by Spain's central government when it took control of theregion to stop it breaking away, but he saidthe fight forindependence would go on.

Puigdemont, speaking at a news conference in Brussels on Tuesday, alsosaid he was not seeking asylum in Belgium after Spain's stateprosecutor recommended charges for rebellion and sedition bebrought against him. He would return to Catalonia when given"guarantees" by the Spanish government, he said.

Puigdemont's announcement that he would accept the regionalelection on Dec. 21 signalled the Madrid government had for nowat least gained the upper hand in the protracted struggle overCatalonia, a wealthy northeastern region that already hadconsiderable autonomy.

Resistance to Madrid's imposition of direct control onCatalonia failed to materialize at the start of the week and the secessionist leadership is in disarray.

But a poll released on Tuesday showed that support for thecreation of an independent state of Catalonia rose to an almostthree-year high in October.

Legal fight

Spain's Constitutional Court on Tuesday blocked theunilateral declaration of independencemade by the regionalparliament on Friday a largely symbolic move that gained notraction and led to the assembly's dismissal by Prime MinisterMariano Rajoy less than an hour after it was made.

"I ask the Catalan people to prepare for a long road.Democracy will be the foundation of our victory," Puigdemont said.

Rajoy, who has taken an uncompromising stance throughout thecrisis, is gambling on anti-independence parties taking power inthe regional parliament and putting the brakes on theindependence drive. Puigdemont will hope a strong showing forthe independence camp will reboot the secessionists after atumultuous several weeks.

The Spanish government has said Puigdemont was welcome totake his chances and stand in the election.The judicial process was aseparate matter, it said.

The Supreme Court also began processing rebellion chargesagainst Catalan parliament speaker Carme Forcadell and othersenior leaders on Tuesday.

A region divided

The political crisis, Spain's gravest in the four decadessince the return of democracy in the late 1970s, was triggered by an independence referendum in Catalonia on Oct. 1.

I ask the Catalan people to prepare for a long road.- Carles Puigdemont, ousted Catalonian president

Though it was declared illegal by Spanish courts and lessthan half Catalonia's eligible voters took part, thepro-secessionist regional government said the vote gave it amandate for independence.

The United States, Britain, Germany and France have allbacked Rajoy and rejected an independent Catalan state, althoughsome have called for dialogue between the opposing sides.

Puigdemont, Vice President Oriol Junqueras and other Catalanleaders had said previously they would not accept their dismissal. But their respective parties, PdeCat and EsquerraRepublicana de Catalunya, said on Monday they would take part inthe election, a tacit acceptance of direct rule from Madrid.

The struggle has divided Catalonia itself and caused deepresentment across the rest of Spain, although separatist sentiment persists in the Basque Country and some other areas.