Spain strips ‘secessionist’ Catalonia of autonomy
MADRID: The Spanish government on Saturday handed temporary control of Catalonia to Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria after it stripped the region of its autonomy, the media reported.
The measures came after the Catalan Parliament voted to declare independence on Friday, reports the BBC.
MADRID: The Spanish government on Saturday handed temporary control of Catalonia to Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria after it stripped the region of its autonomy, the media reported.
The measures came after the Catalan Parliament voted to declare independence on Friday, reports the BBC.
Soon after the Catalan parliament’s move, the Spanish Senate granted Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s government the power to impose direct rule on the region which held an independence referendum on October 1. It was deemed illegal by the Spanish Constitution.
The Spanish government published an official bulletin earlier on Saturday stating that it has dismissed Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont, his deputy Oriol Junqueras and all government members.
The announcement came hours after the Madrid government on Friday night removed Josep Lluís Trapero Alvarez as chief of Catalonia’s autonomous Mossos police force.
Spain also announced regional elections for December 21. Demonstrations for and against independence continued late Friday night and more are expected on Saturday, with a rally “for the unity of Spain and the constitution” to be held in Madrid, the BBC reported.
The European Union, the US, the UK, Germany and France all expressed support for Spanish unity. Catalonia is one of Spain’s richest, most distinctive regions, with a high degree of autonomy. The move to quash Catalan powers under Article 155 of the Spanish constitution is likely to anger many in a region of some 7.5 million people that enjoyed considerable autonomy, with control over education, healthcare and police. It is the first time the central government has curtailed autonomy in the region since dictator Francisco Franco’s repressive 1939-75 rule.
Independence supporters have warned they will resist the temporary measure, implemented under a constitutional article devised to rein in rebel regions.
“We won’t cave in to Rajoy’s authoritarianism nor to 155,” the far-left CUP party, an ally of Puigdemont, tweeted.
A motion to declare Catalonia a “republic” was passed yesterday with 70 votes out of 135 in the regional parliament, where pro-secessionists hold sway. Catalan leaders point to the “Yes” vote in the deeplydivisive October 1 referendum as a mandate for independence, even though less than half of voters took part.
Echoing widely-held fears, Federico Santi, Europe analyst at political risk consultancy Eurasia Group, warned the crisis could become violent, with “more serious clashes between national police and pro-independence activists.”
Speaking after the parliament’s proclamation, Puigdemont urged activists to “maintain the momentum” in a peaceful manner.