The Spanish government on Thursday said it intends to proceed with suspending the autonomy of Catalonia and imposing direct rule from Madrid as the standoff over this month’s disputed independence referendum intensifies.
In a statement, the government said ministers would convene an extraordinary meeting on Saturday, where they would seek to approve measures to impose the procedures contained in article 155 in the Spanish constitution, in order to “restore legality” in the autonomous region, and rule directly from the Spanish capital.
The move comes after Catalonia’s President Carles Puigdemont responded to a demand from Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy for clarity of his ‘suspended’ declaration of independence on Oct. 10, ten minutes before his deadline for doing so.
In a letter also issued on Thursday morning, Puigdemont said the Catalan parliament — where pro independence groups have a majority — would move forward with a vote on a declaration of independence if Madrid refused to talk.
