The Spanish premier Mariano Rajoy has directly assumed the presidency of Catalonia and his ministers the respective competences. The premier then handed over the operational functions in Catalonia to his deputy, Santamaria. Thus dismissed Carles Puidgemont, who now according to the Catalan newspaper Ara, he even risks arrest: the Spanish state prosecutor's office will in fact file a complaint against him and against the deposed Catalan government on Monday before the supreme court for sedition and rebellion and will ask for precautionary measures, which could start as early as Monday.
Major Josep Lluìs Trapero was also dismissed, head of the Mossos d'Esquadra, the Catalan community police. Trapero is accused of 'sedition' by the Spanish judiciary for demonstrations in Barcelona on 20 and 21 September. After declaration of independence on friday by the Catalan Parliament, today the Official Gazette (the Boletin Oficial del Estado) published the decree with which the Government of Spain assumes the functions and responsibilities that correspond to the president of the Generalitat of Catalonia, as provided for in the statute of autonomy.
In fact it is the start of the commissioning of the Region under Article 155 of the Constitution, the application of which was approved on Friday by the Council of Ministers and ratified by the Senate, in Madrid. It is the first time that the central government has revoked the autonomy of a region since the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, which lasted from 1939 to 1975. New elections are scheduled for December 21st.
