Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy has called an extraordinary cabinet meeting for 9am this Wednesday, where they will probably discuss whether or not to apply article 155 of the Constitution, which gives them the power to revoke Catalonia's autonomy. Deputy prime minister Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría gave a press conference at 10:25pm this evening, announcing the meeting and insinuating what it might involve. "Mr Puigdemont has led his autonomous community to the highest level of uncertainty", she said, continuing that Rajoy would look for "the maximum consensus" when adopting any answer.
While Santamaria was speaking to the press, Rajoy was in a meeting with the leader of the opposition PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party), Pedro Sánchez, in the Moncloa palace. Support from Sánchez' party to apply article 155 is considered key, even though Rajoy's PP (Popular Party) has a majority in the Senate. This is because the Spanish government has always said it would prefer to not break the unity between the pro-Constitution parties. PSOE, for its part, has maintained ambiguity over its position and called for dialogue with the Catalan president, as they told Rajoy directly in a meeting on 2nd October.
Support from Ciudadanos (Citizens), on the other hand, is guaranteed and Albert Rivera, their leader, hasn't been called to tonight's meeting, although might communicate his support in the coming hours anyway.
Currently, it's known that government lawyers believe it possible to enact article 155 in five days, and the deputy prime minister said this afternoon in the Senate that they "wouldn't let" the Catalan government continue in a state of "disobedience". There is also the possibility of using the Penal Code against Catalan government officials, as Rajoy explained to the PP this Monday.
In this context, the mediation Puigdemont asked for in the Catalan Parliament this evening will not take place, as Santamaría said in her statement. "Dialogue between democrats takes place within the law and respecting its legality," she said. As such, she strongly attacked the Catalan leader and his wish to move forwards with independence. "He doesn't know where he is, where he's going or who he wants to go with." "Nobody can take consequences from a law that doesn't exist. The referendum is fraudulent, illegal and doesn't have the minimum guarantees," she repeated.
The legal services of the state and the cabinet will have to discuss "the steps to undertake" after this evening's events in the Catalan Parliament and the declaration, and later suspension, of independence including, as it did, the signing of the document declaring the Republic by the deputies of JxSí (Together for Yes) and CUP (Popular Unity Candidacy).
The cabinet meeting at 9am will require the control session at the Spanish Congress to be delayed until 11am, according to parliamentary sources. The planned appearance by Rajoy in the lower chamber for 4pm is still to go ahead, however.