Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy today urged businesses not to abandon Catalonia after hundreds of firms moved their legal headquarters away as uncertainty over the region's independence drive drags on. <br/><br/>Prime Minister Rajoy said this during his first visit to Catalonia since the governement took direct control of the region after the crisis. <br/>He dismissed Catalonia's government and parliament last month and called for new elections in the turbulent region on December 21. Catalonia's independence crisis has pushed more than 2,400 firms to re-register their legal headquarters outside the wealthy northeastern region. <br/>'<br/><br/>Meanwhile, hundreds of thousands of Catalans flooded Barcelona yesterday to demand the release of dismissed regional lawmakers who were detained over their independence bid. <br/><br/>