Spaniards wake up to a week of uncertainty

Spaniards woke up Monday facing a week of political uncertainty, with Catalan regional leader Carles Puigdemont expected to declare independence from Spain within a matter of days.

Puigdemont, the elected regional president of Catalonia and leader of its secessionist movement, vowed to make the declaration following a divisive and controversial referendum on October 1, that he said was the resounding voice of the people. Madrid maintains that the vote was carried out illegally and the result is invalid.

The standoff between Madrid and Barcelona has plunged Spain into its most serious political crisis in four decades, since the country transitioned to democracy.

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy vowed on Saturday to use every tool within the law to stop any meaningful declaration of independence, including a never-before-used clause in the Spanish Constitution to suspend Catalonia's autonomy.

"We are going to stop independence from happening. On that, I can tell you with absolute frankness, that it will not happen. It is evident that we will take whatever decision that we are permitted to by law, in view of how things are unfolding," Rajoy told the El Pais newspaper in an interview.

"The ideal scenario would be that there were no need for drastic solutions, but for that there would need to be rectifications."