The President of the autonomous Spanish region of Catalonia has declined  the ultimatum of Prime minister Mariano Rajoy to clarify whether the independence was declared, in a letter issued by Madrid central government.

Prime minister Rajoy had issued a Monday deadline for Carles Puigdemont to clarify the events in Catalonia following the referendum, Spain regards as illegal, threatening to strip the Catalans of their autonomous rights and impose the direct rule.

Instead of answering the letter the Catalan leader called for negotiation over the next two months, and also asked to stop all forms of “repression”: freezing bank accounts, censorship of internet, and mass media, violation of privacy of correspondence, detention of civil servants, and brutal police violence.

President Puigdemont declared independence last week after a referendum assessed as ‘illegal’ by central government in Madrid, but immediately suspended the declaration to allow for talks.

The absence of clarity create difficulty for Madrid to justify its decisions, subsequently Spain  is awaited an offer of an extended deadline of Thursday for Mr Puigdemont to change his mind, before attempting to enact direct rule, stripping Catalonia from its autonomous status.

In a symbolical gesture President Puigdemont laid a wreath to tortured and executed by fascists first President of independent Catalonia. The rituals got a lot of limelight after the threats of Madrid government to Puigdemont personally to face the same fate as Lluis Companys.