Spanish Government Announces Intent to Directly Govern Catalonia

In response to the possibility of Catalonia declaring independence, the Spanish government announced its intention to directly govern the region. According to AFP, the central government of Spain had given Carles Puigdemont, the head of the Catalan local government, a deadline until 10 AM on Thursday Madrid time to abandon independence plans. Mariano Rajoy, the Prime Minister of Spain, warned that if the Catalan leader did not retreat from the independence request, Article 155 of the Constitution would be enforced. This article allows the central government to govern Catalonia directly; it has never been implemented in Spain before. By enforcing this constitutional article, the central government can dissolve the local Catalan government and take control of the police. Carles Puigdemont stated on Thursday that if the central government resorts to Article 155, Catalan lawmakers could unilaterally declare independence. The Catalan leader said, 'If the central government continues to avoid dialogue and continues repression, the Catalan Parliament can... vote for a formal declaration of independence.' In response to these statements, the central government announced its intention to implement Article 155 of the Constitution to restore law to the region. The Spanish cabinet is set to hold an emergency meeting on Saturday to decide how to control Catalonia. The Catalonia crisis has caused investor panic and concerns within the European Union. The Catalonia region in northern Spain has a population of 7.5 million, and its residents speak Catalan. However, Catalans do not have a consensus on separation from Spain. Carles Puigdemont claims that with a '90 percent' yes vote in the October 1 referendum, he is obligated to declare independence. However, the participation rate in this referendum was only 43 percent, and many opponents of separation did not participate because the central government declared the referendum unconstitutional. Due to the political instability in this region, more than 800 companies have left Catalonia. Separatists argue that while the economy of this region is equivalent to one-fifth of Spain's total economy, revenues are spent on all of Spain, and independence would make the region wealthier. However, opponents of separation believe that independence could lead to instability and severe economic consequences.