AP, Madrid :
Spain’s prime minister has said the government’s plans to take unprecedented control of Catalonia’s key affairs and halt the region’s push for independence are “exceptional” and he hopes they will not last long.
Mariano Rajoy told parliament that the application of the Constitution’s Article 155 is the “only possible” response to restore the region’s legality, which he said has been liquidated by Catalan president Carles Puigdemont’s push to secede.
Mr Rajoy said he hopes the measures planned, including the sacking of Mr Puigdemont’s government and curtailment of the Catalan parliament’s powers, will be brief.
He said they should end with regional elections that he hopes can be held as soon as possible but only once law and order is restored.Spain’s Senate is expected to approve the measures on Friday.
Spain’s Senate is expected to approve the measures Friday.
Reuters adds: One of the priorities for Spain’s government is restoring “normality and legality” in the wealthy northeastern region of Catalonia, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy told parliament on Wednesday.
Catalonia is facing direct rule from Madrid from Friday, due to an independence bid which Spanish courts have ruled contravenes the country’s 1978 constitution.Secessionist leaders in Catalonia may call a snap election in an attempt to break the deadlock with Madrid over independence, a senior local politician said on Tuesday, but Spanish authorities made clear that would not be enough.
Spain says it will impose direct rule on Catalonia from Friday to prevent an illegal push for independence, invoking unprecedented powers to dismiss the regional government. The Madrid government said an election would not change those plans.
The Catalan parliament meets on Thursday to agree on a response to Madrid, and many analysts believe the economically powerful region could formally declare independence.
Secessionists in Catalonia say their independence referendum on Oct. 1 – which attracted a 43 percent turnout and was mostly boycotted by Catalans who want to remain in Spain – has given them a mandate for statehood.
Catalonia said on Monday it was confident that its officials, including the police, would defy attempts by Madrid to enforce direct rule.
Spanish political and business leaders, along with most Catalonian newspapers, have urged Catalan President Carles Puigdemont to call a regional election before he is stripped of his authority.
They say direct rule from Madrid would be a humiliation for Catalonia and pose a serious risk of unrest.
