‘Independently’, Catalonia wakes up under Madrid’s control

Pro-independence demonstrators cheer outside the Catalan parliament, in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017. Catalan lawmakers voted Friday to secede from Spain, shortly before Spain's Senate approved a request by the central government to take direct control of Catalonia's affairs.((AP Photo/ Emilio Morenatti)

It is the day afterwards in Catalonia. The Spanish region woke up without autonomy, and under Madrid’s control half a day after the region declared itself independent.

 

Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy, and his government, took the drastic step on Friday of deploying regional Catalan leaders, dissolving the regional assembly, and setting new elections for the 21st of December.

The goal is to put an end to the demands of Catalan separatists to detach themselves from Spain, and restoring what Rajoy is calling ‘normality’.
The official takeover took place at 09.00 on Saturday, as the government in Madrid published an announcement that the regional leaders had been allocated. This means that Rajoy took over power from region president, Carles Puigdemont.

In Madrid, there were many demonstrations in protest over the Catalan Independence Declaration on Saturday.

It was adopted by 70 of a total of 135 representatives in the regional assembly. Ten voted against,two were neutral, while the rest boycotted the vote.

In Catalonia, the declaration of independence is strongly contested.

The largest separatist group, ANC, have urged public servants not to take orders from Madrid, and to exercise passive resistance to the power takeover.

 

 

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