Catalonia’s parliament declared independence from Spain in a historic vote on Friday (27 October), setting the scene for a showdown with Madrid, which has announced it would strip the breakaway region of its autonomy.
"We hereby constitute the Catalan Republic as an independent,sovereign, legal,democratic, socially-conscious state" https://t.co/5Cyj2XC1gF
— Catalan News (@catalannews) October 27, 2017
The parliament approved a motion to establish “the independent Catalan republic” with the final score of 70 in favour, 10 opposed and two blank ballots. The opposition had walked out and refused to vote.
Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont dismissed a plea from opposition deputies this week to find a solution to the standoff with Madrid, closely watched by Brussels.
⚠️Parliament declares the Catalan independent Republic, urges government to open constituent process pic.twitter.com/0Ygfdef7Lp
— Catalan News (@catalannews) October 27, 2017
The European Union has been particularly wary of any secessionist sentiment after Britain’s decision to leave the bloc. It has said that Catalonia was Spain’s internal issue.
For EU nothing changes. Spain remains our only interlocutor. I hope the Spanish government favours force of argument, not argument of force.
— Donald Tusk (@eucopresident) October 27, 2017
Minutes after the Catalan vote, Spain’s Senate approved direct rule by the central government over the wealthy eastern region, under Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution. In other words, it gave Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy the authority to take direct control of the regional administration in Barcelona.
Rajoy said the rule of law would be reinstated in Catalonia and appealed to everyone to stay calm.
Pido tranquilidad a todos los españoles. El Estado de Derecho restaurará la legalidad en Cataluña. MR
— Mariano Rajoy Brey (@marianorajoy) October 27, 2017
Spain has never before invoked Article 155 and Rajoy told parliament in Madrid before the vote that Catalan separatists had left his government with no choice but to take drastic measures to halt the region’s independence drive
Catalonia’s 1 October independence referendum was ruled illegal by Spain’s constitutional court, and the regional government’s decision to push ahead regardless has caused the worst political crisis in Spain since its transition to democracy in the 1970s.
Earlier on Friday, the Madrid stock exchange dropped 1% bucking the bullish trend of most European stocks. The benchmark IBEX 35 index of major companies shed about 1% in value in early afternoon deals.