The Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, has disregarded the requests of the Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, and has summoned an extraordinary Cabinet Meeting this Saturday to start the proceedings of article 155 of the Constitution. Puigdemont warned the head of the Spanish state's executive that if he makes use of the supreme rule, the Parliament will vote for independence, and that it did not vote on 10th October.
The Spanish government's statement assures that "it has ascertained [...] the refusal of the president of the Catalan government to meet the requirement sent to him on 11th October", where the government was asked to "return the constitutional order altered".
However, with the letter of Puigdemont, they consider that they should go through the law and advised the president that "the government of Spain will continue with the planned procedures" to the Constitution. Precisely for that, on Saturday, they will decide in the extraordinary Cabinet Meeting what procedures that they will follow to apply article 155, according to them to "protect the general interest of the Spaniards" [...] and to restore the constitutional order".
Gratitudes and reproaches
After again threatening the Catalan government, Rajoy thanks the PSOE (Spanish Socialist Workers' Party) and Cs (Citizens) who are showing unconditional support to the government of the PP (Popular Party) since weeks ago, that is, "the support of the different political groups with which it is currently closing a majority response".
However, he "also denounces the attitude maintained by those responsible for the Catalan government to seek, deliberately and systematically, the institutional confrontation despite the serious damage that is being caused to the coexistence and economic structure of Catalonia."
In addition, the letter emphasizes that the state government "will put all the means at its disposal to restore legal and constitutional order as soon as possible, to restore peaceful coexistence among citizens and to curb the economic deterioration that legal insecurity is causing in Catalonia."