CATALONIA’s Parliament will vote on a formal declaration of independence which had been suspended after the October 1 referendum that was marred by State Police brutality.
In a letter to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, Catalan President Carles Puigdemont said the vote would proceed if the State Government “persists in blocking dialogue and the repression continues”.
More than 42 per cent – 2.26 million – of the Catalan electorate managed to cast their votes as paramilitary officers blockaded sites used as polling stations and savagely beat would-be voters with riot batons. Despite this, officials said more than 90 per cent had voted to secede from Spain.
Puigdemont wrote to Rajoy minutes before a deadline imposed by Madrid for him backtrack on moves towards independence.
Rajoy announced a special Cabinet session for Saturday that would trigger the process to activate Article 155 of Spain's constitution – the so-called “nuclear option”, which has never been used in the four decades since democracy was restored at the end of Francisco Franco’s dictatorship.
It allows for central government to take over the devolved powers of any of the country's 17 semi-autonomous regions.
The meeting will “approve the measures that will be sent to the Senate to protect the general interest of all Spaniards”, the statement said.
Spain’s government must outline the exact measures it wants to apply in Catalonia and submit them for a vote in the Senate.
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel