MADRID/BARCELONA (Reuters) - The
Spanish government will impose direct rule on Catalonia, it said on Saturday,
in an unprecedented move that brought thousands of people who voted for
independence onto to the streets against what they called a "coup".
Catalan President Carles Puigdemont,
who made a symbolic declaration of independence on Oct. 10 after a referendum
that Madrid declared illegal, joined a peaceful demonstration in Barcelona and
was due to speak at 9 p.m. (1900 GMT).
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he
would fire Puigdemont and the rest of the regional government, hoping to end
Spain's worst political crisis in four decades that prompted Madrid to reduce
growth forecasts for the euro zone's fourth-largest economy and raised fears of
prolonged unrest.
It is the first time since Spain's
return to democracy in the late 1970s that the central government has invoked
the constitutional right to take control of a region.
Rajoy acted with backing from the
main opposition party in Madrid and King Felipe, who said on Friday that
"Catalonia is and will remain an essential part" of Spain.
"We will ask the Senate, with
the aim of protecting the general interest of the nation, to authorize the
government ... to dismiss the Catalan president and his government," Rajoy
told a news conference.
Spain's upper house of parliament is
scheduled to vote on the plan next Friday, giving Madrid full control of
Catalonia's finances, police and public media and curbing the powers of the
regional parliament.
But the speaker of the Catalan
parliament said she would not accept the measures, accusing Rajoy of a
"coup" and an "attack against democracy".
"Prime Minister Rajoy wants the
parliament of Catalonia to stop being a democratic parliament, and we will not
allow this to happen," Carme Forcadell said in a televised speech.
"We commit today, after the
most serious attack against the Catalan institutions since they were restored,
to the defense of the sovereignty of the parliament of Catalonia."
The time needed to effectively
enforce direct rule could give the independence movement room to maneuver.
The Catalan parliament is expected
to decide on Monday whether to hold a session to formally proclaim the republic
of Catalonia.
Catalan media have said Puigdemont
could also dissolve the regional parliament and call elections by next Friday.
Under Catalan law, those elections would take place within two months.
"LET'S PROCLAIM THE
REPUBLIC"
Puigdemont and his cabinet marched
in Barcelona on Saturday wearing yellow ribbons in support of two senior
independence campaigners who have been jailed on charges of sedition.
"Freedom! Freedom!"
protesters chanted as they waived independence flags and signs reading
"Defending our land is not a crime" and "Let's proclaim the
republic."
"(Rajoy) triggering this
article will not resolve anything," said 38-year-old builder Abel
Fernandez, attending the demonstration with a pro-independence flag tied around
his neck.
"They won't be able to keep
quiet the half of Catalonia that is in favor of independence and those who
favor the right to decide."
Pro-independence parties said
Rajoy's move showed the Spanish state was no longer democratic.
"The Spanish government has
carried out a coup against a democratic and legal majority," Marta Rovira,
a lawmaker from Catalan government party Esquerra Republica de Catalunya,
tweeted.
Anti-capitalist party CUP, which
backs the pro-independence minority government in the regional assembly said:
"Taken over but never defeated. Popular unity for the Republic now. Not a
single step back."
Catalan authorities said about 90
percent of those who took part in the referendum on Oct. 1 voted for
independence. But only 43 percent of the electorate participated, with most
opponents of secession staying at home.
TERRITORIAL UNITY
The independence push has met with strong
opposition across the rest of Spain and divided Catalonia itself. It has also
and prompted hundreds of firms to move their headquarters out of the region.
Rajoy on Saturday urged them to stay.
His center-right People's Party (PP)
government received unequivocal backing from the opposition Socialist Party.
"Differences with the PP on our
territorial unity? None!" said Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez.
Rajoy said he did not intend to use
the special powers for more than six months.
"Our objective is to restore
the law and a normal cohabitation among citizens, which has deteriorated a lot,
continue with the economic recovery, which is under threat today in Catalonia,
and celebrate elections in a situation of normality," he said.
Madrid has insisted that Puigdemont
- who has threatened to press ahead with independence unless Madrid agreed to a
dialogue - has broken the law several times in pushing for independence.
"The rulers of Catalonia have
respected neither the law on which our democracy is based nor the general
interest," the government said in a memorandum to the Senate. "This
situation is unsustainable."
Pro-independence groups have
mustered more than 1 million people onto the streets in protest at Madrid's
refusal to negotiate a solution.
Heavy-handed police tactics to shut
down the independence referendum were condemned by human rights groups, and
secessionists accused Madrid of taking "political prisoners".
Hacking group Anonymous on Saturday
joined a campaign called "Free Catalonia" and took down the website
of Spain's constitutional court.
Spain's national security department
had said on Friday it was expecting such an attack to take place, though nobody
was available on Saturday to confirm it.
(Additional reporting by Isla
Binnie, Carlos Ruano and Tomas Cobos in Madrid; Editing by Angus MacSwan and
Robin Pomeroy)
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