Catalan leader accuses Spain of violating constitution

Puigdemont insists in written submission to Senate that taking over powers was an "affront" to Spain's constitution

MADRID: Catalonia's secessionist leader Carles Puigdemont accused Madrid Thursday of violating the Spanish constitution by threatening to seize the region's powers to thwart an independence push.



Just a day before Spanish senators were set to pass measures to remove Catalonia's independence-seeking leadership, Puigdemont insisted in a written submission to the Senate that taking over powers from the semi-autonomous region was an "affront" to Spain's constitution.