The Spanish government will seek to dismiss Catalan President Carles Puigdemont as part of a barrage of actions under Article 155 of the Constitution that aims to shut down the push for independence, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said.
Puigdemont and his regional administration will be removed from office once the Spanish Senate approves the government’s plan as soon as this week and Spanish government ministers will take over the management of the Catalan administration, Rajoy said.
“We are going to work to return to normality,” Rajoy said, as car horns sounded in downtown Madrid. “We are going to work so that all Catalans can feel united and participate in a common project in Europe and the world that has been know for centuries as Spain.”
The move may be a watershed moment for Spain and its 1.3 trillion) economy, which counts on Catalonia for a fifth of its output. Hundreds of companies have already set up headquarters elsewhere in the country to avoid a legal limbo that emerged after Catalan leaders on Oct. 10 claimed the right to an independent republic.
With the central government’s measure due to come into force within days, Catalan leaders are due to meet Monday to discuss whether to push ahead with a unilateral declaration of independence.
Rajoy thanked two opposition parties, the Socialists and Ciudadanos, for their support for the measures.
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