​Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría announces that President of the Government has called extraordinary Council of Ministers on Wednesday morning at 9 am

"A very good evening to you all.

I appear here to inform you that the President of the Government has just called an extraordinary Council of Ministers for tomorrow morning at 9 am.

I would also like to assess what we have seen this afternoon.

After having gone so far, and Catalonia having been taken to the highest level of tension in its history, it is now exposed to the greatest level of uncertainty.

The speech given by the President of the Regional Government of Catalonia today is the speech of a person who does not know where he is, where he is going or who is going with him.

The government cannot accept the validation of a regional Catalan referendum act because this was precisely suspended by the Constitutional Court.

The Regional Government of Catalonia cannot announce the results from 1 October because that event was illegal, fraudulent and did not even comply with the minimum level of guarantees.

And it is unacceptable, moreover, for anyone in a regional parliament to assert that the majority of the people of Catalonia wish to see an independent State in the form of a republic.

Hence, neither Mr Puigdemont, nor anyone else, can draw conclusions or any other consequences from a law that does not exist, from a referendum that has not taken place and from a desire - that of the people of Catalonia - that they once again seek to appropriate.

Furthermore, neither Mr Puigdemont, nor anyone else, can try and impose mediation without first returning to legality and democracy. Dialogue between democrats is carried out within the bounds of the law, respecting the rules of the game rather than making them up as they go along.

Hence, tomorrow the President of the Government will hold a meeting of the Council of Ministers to tackle the next steps to be taken following this afternoon's plenary session in the Regional Parliament of Catalonia.

He is talking at this very moment with the other main political parties in order to reach the maximum consensus for any decision that may be adopted.

Moreover, as you are aware, the President of the Government will appear, at his own request, tomorrow afternoon in the Lower House of Parliament to explain the political situation in Catalonia".

Non official translation