The Spanish government is ready to suspend the autonomy of Catalonia. The council of ministers convened by Mariano Rajoy will decide it on Saturday as soon as he has received it the letter from Carles Puidgemont with which the Catalan president essentially did not clarify whether or not he declared independence a week ago and threatened to move to a formal vote in Parliament if Madrid triggers article 155 of the Constitution. The ultimatum, the second, with which Madrid had asked Catalonia for a definitive clarification expired today, Thursday, at 10.
The political knot does not dissolve and, on the contrary, the positions in the long tug of war between the central government - determined to preserve the national unity of Spain - and the Catalan government which is instead asking for independence are radicalized. Prime Minister Rajoy has convened the council of ministers for Saturday as he is first busy in Brussels at the EU Council. In practice, the Spanish government believes that the Catalan president Carles Puigdemont "has not responded" to Madrid's requests and will go ahead with the application of art. 155, said Spanish executive spokesman Inigo Mendez de Vigo. An extraordinary Council of Ministers on Saturday will approve the activation of 155, which will be submitted to a vote in the Senate, to "re-establish constitutional order in Catalonia".
