Madrid eyes big power transfer

BARCELONA, SPAIN» Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy left the nation breathless when he announced the steps he wants to take to crush the separatist movement in the prosperous Catalonia region.

Rajoy called on Spain’s Senate on Saturday to trigger a section of the Constitution that allows the central government to intervene in the running of a region if its leaders have broken the law.

Activating the constitutional authority granted by Article 155 is Madrid’s boldest response so far to avowals from Catalonia’s leaders to declare independence based on an Oct. 1 referendum that a court has judged as illegal.

There are some of the regional powers Rajoy is seeking:

Depose leaders

Foremost, Rajoy wants to remove the members of Catalonia’s pro-independence regional government. Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, Vice President Oriol Junqueras and the 12 regional ministers claim Catalonia is sovereign and not subject to Spanish law.

Spanish Foreign Minister Alfonso Dastis promised Sunday that no arrests would be made when the Catalan government is dismissed, Bloomberg News reported.

Impose control

Catalonia has secured the ability to govern itself in many areas since democracy returned to Spain after the death of dictator Gen. Francisco Franco in 1975. Education, health and policing are areas in which the region enjoys self-rule.

Rajoy proposes taking over the vast regional administration and its roughly 200,000 civil servants after the top officials are removed. How Madrid’s management would work is unclear. One option would be for Spanish ministries to assume direct control of their regional counterparts.

Timetable

A special commission of 27 senators will assess Rajoy’s request Tuesday. Puigdemont will have the chance to argue his case before the Senate Thursday, before a vote expected Friday.

Difficult to enforce

Political observers across the ideological spectrum agree Rajoy and his government may have to resort to using force if Catalonia’s leaders disobey orders to step down. Calls for resistance and disobedience have become standard in the secessionist camp.

Hardcore separatists will put intense pressure on Puigdemont and his government to stay in office. There are fears such a standoff could lead to violent police raids like those that marred the referendum.

“I don’t think that Puigdemont will just walk away because he receives notification that he has been removed in a letter,” political analyst Josep Ramoneda said.

Snap elections

In all 17 of Spain’s regions, the right to call early regional elections belongs exclusively to regional leaders. Rajoy wants that right passed to him temporarily in Catalonia. His request includes a commitment to call for regional elections within six months.

Police

Catalonia and the Basque Country are Spain’s only regions with their own fully deployed police forces. Spain wants to take direct control of Catalonia’s police, the Mossos d’Esquadra, and warns it will consider increasing the presence of the National Police and Civil Guard. Mossos chief Josep Trapero is already under investigation for sedition by a Spanish judge.