Spanish Cabinet meets to revoke self-government in Catalonia

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — The Spanish government moved to activate a previously untapped constitutional article Saturday so it can take control of Catalonia, illustrating its determination to derail the independence movement led by separatist politicians in the prosperous industrial region.

Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's Cabinet was meeting to outline the scope and timing of the measures the government plans to take under Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution. The article allows central authorities to intervene when one of Spain's 17 autonomous regions fails to comply with the law.

It's never been used since the 1978 Constitution was adopted, but Rajoy's conservative government says establishing direct control over Catalonia was a move of last resort. The goal is "the return to legality and the recovery of institutional normalcy," the prime minister said Friday.

Rajoy could force the removal of Catalan officials and call early regional elections for as soon as January. Such actions are expected to spark angry opposition from supporters of independence and moderate Catalans who will see them as an attack on their autonomy.

The slow-burning constitutional crisis over secession escalated this month when regional government officials claimed a disputed independence referendum held Oct. 1 gave them a legal basis for separating from Spain.

The country's Constitutional Court has so far ruled against all moves toward secession, including the controversial referendum. The vote itself was marred by sporadic violence as police took action to shut down some polling locations. The central government says the results have no legitimacy.

Opposition parties have agreed to support the prime minister in revoking Catalonia's autonomy as a way to thwart the independence drive. Although the ruling Popular Party has enough majority to get the specific measures passed by the country's Senate, Rajoy has rallied the support of the opposition to give his government's actions more weight. .

Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont has threatened to call a vote in the regional parliament for an explicit declaration of independence from Spain.

Madrid eyes crackdown after Catalonia declares independence.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — In one of the most momentous days in recent Spanish history, lawmakers in the Catalan regional parliament voted to unilaterally declare independence on Friday, prompting the government to immediately adopt special constitutional powers to stop the region's attempt to secede.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's conservative government called an emergency Cabinet meeting and was expected to use its new powers to immediately dismiss the Catalan regional government and curtail the powers of its parliament in Barcelona. The Spanish government could also seize control of the Catalan police force and the region's publicly-owned media outlets.

"Today, the Catalonia parliament has approved something that in the opinion of a large majority of people not only goes against the law but is a criminal act," Rajoy declared. The Spanish Senate's decision to authorize the government to take control of Catalonia trumped the local parliament's independence vote, which was a symbolic act that is doomed because Spain's Constitutional Court is almost certain to disallow it.

Rajoy has indicated he wants to call an early election in the prosperous northeastern region as soon as central authorities can ensure an orderly return to legality. The battle around Catalonia's future is far from over, however.

Madrid taking away Catalonia's regional powers is likely to be seen as a humiliation and a provocation by Catalans. A backlash is anticipated, with street protests planned for Sunday, while regional government workers could follow a policy of disobedience or non-cooperation.

On top of that, an expected early election within six months could still deliver a steadfastly pro-independence Catalan parliament, even if recent polls have suggested the region of 7.5 million people is roughly evenly split on secession and some Catalans strongly oppose independence.

A spokesman with Spain's prosecutor office, meanwhile, said the prosecutor would seek to lay rebellion charges against those responsible for the Catalan independence vote. The day of drama, featuring emotional speeches and scenes of joy and despair, went to the heart of Spain's political and cultural history.

The 1978 Constitution, drawn up after the end of Gen. Francisco Franco's decades-long dictatorship, created a decentralized Spanish state that devolved power to 17 autonomous regions, including Catalonia. The regions have broad administrative and legal powers. The Spanish Constitution, however, also describes Spain as "indivisible."

Catalonia has its own cultural traditions and its own language. Having long seen themselves as different from Spain, the Catalan drive for independence began in 2010 when the Constitutional Court struck down key parts of a groundbreaking charter that would have granted Catalonia greater autonomy and recognized it as a nation within Spain.

Catalonia represents a fifth of Spain's gross domestic product and many want the tax revenues generated by the industrious region to remain at home. After the vote on independence in the Catalan parliament, an unprecedented challenge to Spain's status quo, officials and lawmakers let loose cries of "Freedom!"

Outside parliament, thousands who had gathered cheered the news, some dancing and raising a toast. In Barcelona, people crowded around TV sets to watch the historical events unfold. The famous St. Jaume square outside the regional government office was packed with thousands of people celebrating. Many of them were draped with the "Estelada" flag that adds a blue triangle to the red and yellow Catalan flag and has become a symbol of the separatist struggle.

"I feel so emotional after the huge fight we went through, we finally got it ... the independence of Catalonia!" said 74-year-old Rosalina Cordera Torelles. Nearby, 24-year-old Rita Carboneras could hardly contain her excitement.

"I'm super, super, super happy. Super excited," she said. "So relieved. Now we are Catalan at last. We can be ourselves. We are just happy, look everyone around. Everything is so exciting." The exhilaration was short-lived. Some 500 kilometers (300 miles) to the south, the Senate in Madrid voted by an overwhelming margin of 214 to 47 in favor of granting the government exceptional powers.

"I call on all Spaniards to remain calm. The rule of law will restore legality to Catalonia," Rajoy said on Twitter, adding that what is happening in Catalonia is "a clear violation of the laws, of democracy, of the rights of all, and that has consequences."

The main opposition Socialist party supports Rajoy's stance on Catalonia, and many Spaniards outside the region are scornful of Catalonia's secession ambitions. Rajoy has also received support from outside Spain, with other European leaders rejecting Catalonia's claims. The U.S. administration also backed Rajoy, after President Donald Trump last month branded the Catalan independence ballot as "foolish."

"Catalonia is an integral part of Spain, and the United States supports the Spanish government's constitutional measures to keep Spain strong and united," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

Also supporting Rajoy's warnings of trouble in Catalonia if it forges ahead with its secession bid, more than 1,500 businesses have moved their official headquarters out of Catalonia this month to ensure they can continue operating under European Union laws if Catalonia secedes. The EU says Catalonia will be tossed out of the bloc if it leaves Spain and would have to apply to become a member, a lengthy process.

Spain takes over Catalonia, fires defiant separatist leaders.

BARCELONA, Spain (AP) — Spain took formal direct control of Catalonia on Saturday, on paper firing the region's defiant separatist government a day after lawmakers passed a declaration of independence for the prosperous northeastern region.

But there was no immediate sign if top Catalan officials were intending to obey or if they would resist the sacking and throw the region into further turmoil by prolonging a monthlong standoff with central authorities.

The move came after one of the most tumultuous days in the country's recent history, as the national parliament in Madrid approved unprecedented constitutional measures to halt the secessionist drive by the regional parliament in Barcelona.

Spain made the takeover official by publishing special measures online early Saturday in the country's gazette. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who now replaces Catalan President Carles Puigdemont as the top decision-maker in the northeastern region, has also dissolved the regional parliament and called a new regional election to be held on Dec. 21.

Still, it was not clear at all whether a new election would solve Spain's problems with separatists in Catalonia. Polls suggest pro-independence parties would likely maintain their slim advantage in parliamentary seats but would not get more than 50 percent of the vote.

Rajoy said the declaration of independence "not only goes against the law but is a criminal act." His comments were met late Friday with jeers and whistles of disapproval in Barcelona, the main city in Catalonia, where thousands had gathered to toast the independence declaration.

Puigdemont and the 12 members of the Catalan Cabinet now will no longer be paid and could be charged with usurping others' functions if they refuse to obey. There was no immediate sign they intended to comply with the orders. The Catalan Cabinet met Friday but didn't make any public appearances or offer statements following Rajoy's announcement of the planned government takeover. Spanish prosecutors say that top Catalan officials could face rebellion charges as soon as Monday.

Beyond any possible resistance from top Catalan officials, it's unclear how Rajoy's government in Madrid will be able to exert its control at lower levels of Catalonia's vast regional administration. Catalonia had secured the ability to govern itself in many areas, including education, health and policing, since democracy returned to Spain following the death of dictator Gen. Francisco Franco in 1975.

Some among Catalonia's roughly 200,000 civil servants have said they will refuse to obey orders from Madrid. They risk being punished or even fired under the special powers granted to central authorities by the nation's Senate on Friday.

Vice President Soraya Saenz de Santamaria will be Rajoy's strongwoman in running Catalonia until Dec. 21, when Catalans are expected to choose a new regional parliament. She will coordinate other ministries that take over functions of the region's regional departments, including finances and security, and appoint officials to implement orders from Madrid.

In one of the first moves, Spain's Interior Ministry published an order to demote Josep Lluis Trapero from his position as head of the regional Mossos d'Esquadra police in Catalonia. He will be allowed to remain as commissar.

Trapero became a controversial figure as the public face of the police response in mid-August to deadly extremists' attacks in and near Barcelona. He was praised for effectiveness but also criticized for coordination problems with other national police forces.

Spain's National Court is also investigating him as part of a sedition probe related to the banned Oct. 1 independence referendum, when the regional police were seen as acting passively — not aggressively — to halt the vote deemed illegal by a top Spanish court.

Trapero's boss, regional police director Pere Soler, said in a statement that he accepted his firing by central authorities in Madrid.

Spain judge jails Catalan ministers, mulls leader's arrest.

MADRID (AP) — A Spanish prosecutor asked a judge Thursday to issue an international arrest warrant for the former president of Catalonia and four of his ministers after they failed to appear in a Madrid court for questioning about their efforts to break the region away from Spain.

Ousted Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and his 13-member Cabinet were among those summoned to Spain's National Court. Puigdemont surfaced in Belgium on Tuesday with some of his ex-ministers, saying they were seeking "freedom and safety" there. He and four of the officials remained in Brussels on Thursday.

Asked whether Puigdemont would turn himself in if the arrest warrant is granted, his lawyer in Belgium, Paul Bekaert, told The Associated Press: "Certainly. Or the police will come get him." Bekaert said Puigdemont intends to cooperate with Belgian police.

Meanwhile, the same judge, Investigative Magistrate Carmen Lamela, sent eight former Catalan Cabinet members to jail without bail and ordered another to be held pending a 50,000-euro ($58,300) bail payment.

The ruling was made at the request of prosecutors after the nine were questioned at the National Court in Madrid. Under Spain's legal system, investigating judges can order the detention of suspects while a comprehensive probe, sometimes taking months, determines if charges should be brought.

Also Thursday, six Catalan lawmakers appeared for a parallel session in the Spanish Supreme Court. They were given a week to prepare their defenses and instructed to return for questioning on Nov. 9. In all, 20 regional politicians are being investigated on possible charges of rebellion, sedition and embezzlement for a declaration of secession the Parliament of Catalonia made on Oct. 27. The crimes are punishable by up to 30 years in prison under Spanish law.

Lawyers for the jailed officials said they plan to appeal Lamela's order. Jaume Alonso-Cuevillas, who represents former regional Vice President Oriol Junqueras and four more of the ousted Cabinet members, said the judge's decision to send them to jail "lacked justification" and was "disproportionate."

The Catalan officials' supporters and party aides in Madrid were seen crying outside the courthouse when the judge's decision was announced. They shouted "Freedom! Freedom!" and sang the Catalan official anthem, "Els Segadors."

Spain took the unprecedented step of triggering constitutional powers allowing it to take over running Catalonia following the region's declaration of independence. Madrid dismissed the Catalan Cabinet, dissolved the regional parliament and called a new regional election for Dec. 21.

Junqueras, in a tweet sent shortly after the judge's decision jailing him for pushing Catalonia's secession, called on Catalans to vote on an upcoming regional election on Dec. 21 "Do every day everything that is in your hands in order for good to defeat evil in the ballots of Dec. 21," the tweet posted through Junqueras' account said. "Standing up, with determination and onward to victory."

Javier Melero, a lawyer representing some of the separatist lawmakers investigated in the Supreme Court, criticized Puigdemont and the four ministers who skipped court. He said their actions would be damaging for his clients, three lawmakers who are members of Puigdemont's PDeCAT party.

"Not being at the service of the judiciary when you are summoned is always damaging for the rest of those being investigated," Melero said. About two dozen politicians and elected officials from Catalan separatist parties gathered at the gates of the Supreme Court in a show of support for the lawmakers under investigation.

"If the question is if in Spain you can trust the judicial system, my answer is no," said Artur Mas, a former president of the Catalan government. "From the personal point of view and also for my personal experience, I don't think that there are all the guarantees to have a fair trial."

Mas was banned by a Barcelona court from holding public office for two years after he ignored a Constitutional Court ruling and went ahead with a mock vote on Catalonia's independence in 2014. Across the street, half a dozen protesters with Spanish flags were stopped by police. They shouted at the Catalan politicians, "cowards" and "to jail, to jail."

In Barcelona, the Catalan regional capital, thousands of people rallied outside the regional presidential palace in Sant Jaume Square to show their support for the pro-secession politicians, clapping and chanting slogans in favor of independence.

The protracted political crisis over Catalonia, Spain's worst in decades, could have an impact on the country's economic growth, Spain's central bank warned in a report published Thursday. The Bank of Spain had assessed the potential consequences of two possible scenarios: one is a temporary period of uncertainty in the fourth quarter of 2017 which could shave 0.3 percentage points off forecast growth through the end of 2019. The other scenario was a "severe and prolonged" crisis, which would bring an accumulated decrease of 2.5 percentage points in Spain's gross domestic product between the end of 2017 and 2019.

That, it said, could spell a recession for the Catalan economy.

https://algarvedailynews.com/news/12917-european-arrest-warrant-issued-against-catalonia-s-former-president

03 NOVEMBER 2017

European Arrest Warrant issued against Catalonia's former president

A Spanish judge has issued a European arrest warrant against the sacked president of Catalonia and his four advisers that travelled to Belgium to avoid inflaming the delicate political situation back home.

The Belgian authorities confirm that they have received the court order and promise to study the Madrid request.

The judge granted the request from the Spanish Public Prosecutor to issue a European arrest warrant against Carles Puigdemont, Antoni Comín, Clara Ponsatí, Meritxell Serret and Lluís Piog who missed a court appointment in Spain, triggering the arrest warrnt.

Carles Puigdemont and the councilors are accused of rebellion, sedition, embezzlement, prevarication and disobedience, after setting up an illegal referendum on whether or not Catalonia should be independent of Spain.

In the arrest warrant, Judge Carmen Lamela considers that Carles Puigdemont and his government took advantage of their position "to carry out an independence referendum to achieve the secession of Catalonia."

"To that end, they have promoted and used intimidating and violent forces from the pro-independence sectors of the population, calling for insurrection and defying constitutional order," she said, adding that Puigdemont is continuing to promote independence, even though he is no longer the president and not in the country.

For Puigdemont, the judge has reserved special treatment via an order that he be arrested on sight and held in prison pending extradition. Carmen Lamela justified her decision by saying that the president "is missing and was not located at home," even though she knows full well where he is.

The Spanish court had rejected a request from Carles Puigdemont and his former councilors that they could make statements by videoconference.

Not much value in autonomy, is there.