Catalonia's separatist leader, who was deposed by Madrid, on Saturday called for "democratic opposition" to direct rule imposed by the central government on the semi-autonomous region after its parliament declared unilateral independence.

"The best way to defend what we have achieved to date is democratic opposition to the application of article 155," Carles Puigdemont said in a televised statement, referring to the constitutional article that gives Madrid the takeover powers, adding he and his team would keep working "to build a free country."