The Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, said that voters in the unilateral referendum would be asked the question: "Do you want Catalonia to be an independent country in the form of a republic?", The Guardian reports.
But the Spanish government is implacably opposed to secession, arguing that it is a violation of the constitution, and has vowed to use all possible means to stop the referendum from being held.
Spain’s deputy prime minister, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, dismissed the announcement as an empty threat, saying: "They can announce a referendum as many times as they want and put it back as many weeks as they want, and hold as many events as they want, but the referendum is not going to take place."