Rajoy called on Spain's Senate on Saturday to trigger a previously untapped section of the constitution that allows the central government to temporarily intervene in the running of a region if its leaders have broken the law.Īctivating the constitutional authority granted by Article 155 is Madrid's boldest response so far to avowals from Catalonia's leaders to declare independence based on an Oct. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy left the nation breathless when he announced the steps he wants to take to crush the separatist movement in the prosperous Catalonia region. Local media reports quoted him as saying the bank does not currently plan to move any jobs out of Catalonia.Ĭaixabank, a second bank, Sabadell, and more than a thousand other companies have moved their official bases out of Catalonia to ensure they could continue operating under European Union laws if Catalonia breaks away from Spain. Gortazar said the headquarters relocation was definitive. Presenting the company's earnings for the first time in the city of Valencia, CEO Gonzalo Gortazar declined to give details on the value of the withdrawn deposits, but said the losses had 'been reversed' and the bank continued to grow. The ban until recently was based in Catalonia, but transferred its headquarters to the Valencia region on October 6. The Catalan parliament meets on Thursday to agree on a response to Madrid, and many analysts believe the economically powerful region could formally declare independence.Īlso on Tuesday Caixabank, Spain's third-largest bank, reported it suffered a 'moderate' but temporary run on deposits due to the crisis over the region's independence bid.
If the regional government is not successful in Spanish courts, it will pursue the case in international courts, Turull said. Spain announced that it will move to dismiss Catalonia's separatist government and call fresh elections in the semi-autonomous region in a bid to stop its leaders from declaring independence In the meantime, Catalan leaders intend to bring a legal challenge to prevent the Spanish government from removing them from office.Īppeals will be lodged in Spain's Constitutional and Supreme courts against Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's decision to sack Catalonia's government and curtail the regional parliament's powers, regional government spokesman Jordi Turull said. The Spanish government said a snap election would be a first step but Puigdemont would also have to withdraw an ambiguous declaration of independence he made earlier this month. 'We have evidence this is currently on the table,' Carles Riera, a Catalan politician for the anti-capitalist CUP party, told a news conference.Ĭalling an election could be a face-saving move for Puigdemont as it could either strengthen his mandate if pro-independence parties won or allow him a graceful exit if they did not. Puigdemont called the Catalan parliament to meet this week to agree on a response to Madrid, something many observers said could pave the way for a formal declaration of independence Puigdemont has so far remained silent on the matter of an election but an ally of his pro-independence government said he was actively considering this option. They say direct rule from Madrid would be a humiliation for Catalonia and pose a serious risk of unrest. Spanish political and business leaders, along with most Catalonian newspapers, have urged Catalan President Carles Puigdemont to call a regional election before he is stripped of his authority. It comes amid claims Catalan leaders are considering calling a snap election in an attempt to break the deadlock with Madrid.
Unlike their Spanish counterparts, French Catalan activists do not seek independence for their territory but ask for more autonomy, including on tax matters. Around 400,000 people live in the area of France that activists call North Catalonia. Puigdemont and his government have called for civil disobedience to defy Spain's direct rule move but have not publicly discussed exile. The Catalan parliament will meet again on Thursday to agree a response to direct rule Speaker of the regional Catalan Parliament, Carme Forcadell, arrives to the meeting of parties spokespeople at the regional Parliament in Barcelona on Monday.
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