Catalonia’s president said on Thursday he would not hold snap regional elections that could have broken a deadlock between Madrid and separatists, escalating the political crisis rocking the country.

Mr Puigdemont twice postponed planned addresses in which he had been expected to call elections in Catalonia to head off moves by Madrid to take direct control of the region.

But in a move that stunned Spain’s political establishment, President Carles Puigdemont said on Thursday afternoon that he would not call early elections because he did not have “guarantees that would allow them to be held in absolute normality”.

On Friday, Spain’s senate is due to vote on Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s plans to use exceptional constitutional powers to impose direct rule on Catalonia.