Countdown for Catalonia as the cabinet meets today under Mariano Rajoy who has announced that he will announce the measures to suspend the autonomy of the region. The measures will have the support of the opposition parties PSOE and Ciudadanos except Podemos. Rahoi threatens to activate Article 155 of the Constitution. However, the activation of Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution requires the approval of the Parliament and the Senate. The Catalan government has said that if Madrid activates Article 155, it will formally declare its independence.
The King of Spain Philip condemned the "unacceptable secession attempt" referring to Catalonia, calling the province "an essential part of 21st century Spain".
In an emotionally charged speech at a ceremony of the Princess of Asturias in Oviedo, in the presence of European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, European Council President Donald Tusk and European Parliament President Antonio Tagiani, the King said: "We do not want to give up what we have built together," he said, noting the progress Spain has made since overcoming "the mistakes of the past" in a clear reference to Franco's dictatorship.
The monarch, who had not previously made a direct reference to an attempt at "secession", stressed that: "Spain is facing an unacceptable attempt to secede from a part of its national territory and will deal with it with its legitimate democratic institutions, with respect for our Constitution, based on the values and principles of the parliamentary democracy in which we have lived for the last 39 years ".
"In recent decades, the Spaniards have gone down in history, honoring our sovereign decision to live together in a democracy. We lived and shared successes, failures, triumphs and sacrifices, which united us in joys and sorrows. We can not forget it ", he said characteristically, adding:" All citizens (…) had the opportunity to find their place in a regime of peace and freedom, without fear, or the fear of arbitrariness, away from grudges and ruptures ".
"Spain's achievements were made possible by a pure desire for coexistence and understanding in accordance with democratic rules," he concluded.
Source: TheToc