Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Saturday announced Madrid would seek to sack Catalonia's regional government, replace its ministers and call for early elections, marking an unprecedented move to take control of the autonomous region following its threat to secede.

The decision to trigger Article 155, a never-before-invoked part of the constitution, came after Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont failed to back down from threats to declare independence.

"It was not our wish or intention. It never was," Rajoy said. "But no democratic government can allow the law to be violated."

Read more: Spain's Article 155: The constitution's 'nuclear option'

Rajoy said he did not seek to dismantle Catalan autonomy, but to "restore democracy" and remove the people who had brought it "outside of the law."

Rajoy wants to:

- Replace Catalonia's senior government officials with his ministers

- Call regional elections to be held within six months

- Control the region's police force, finances and public media



Rajoy: Not dismantling Catalan autonomy

In response, Puigdemont slammed Rajoy in a speech later on Saturday, saying the steps being taken were "the worst attack against the institutions and the people of Catalonia since the military dictatorship of Francisco Franco."

During Franco's 1938-75 rule, Catalan autonomy and identity were suppressed. The democratic constitution that emerged from dictatorship granted Catalonia a degree of autonomy in 1979.

Puigdemont called on the Catalan parliament to meet immediately to debate how best to counter the national government's decision.

Catalan parliament speaker Carme Forcadell went so far to accuse Madrid of attempting to carry out a coup.

"Mariano Rajoy has announced a de facto coup d'etat with the goal of ousting a democratically elected government," Forcadell said, adding that the decision was "an authoritarian blow within a member of the European Union."

Massive protest

Following the announcement, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets of Barcelona to protest Rajoy's plans.

They also called for the release of two activists, Jordi Sanchez and Jordi Cuixart, who are in jail awaiting possible sedition charges.

Pro-independence demonstators took to the streets of Barcelona

Podemos: 'In shock'

Rajoy's conservative Popular Party has a majority in the Senate and most opposition parties support protecting Spanish unity, meaning a vote to invoke Article 155 is likely to pass. A vote is expected by next Friday.

However, the left-wing Podemos party slammed Rajoy's announcement and vowed to push the prime minister out of power.

"We are in shock about the suspension of democracy in Catalonia," said Pablo Echenique of Podemos.

'Return to legality'





The unprecedented step of seizing powers from Catalonia's separatist government came after Puigdemont claimed a mandate to declare independence earlier this month.

Separatists have urged Puigdemont to declare independence should the government invoke Article 155. But Spain's chief prosecutor said authorities are prepared to charge Puigdemont if he declares independence.

'Extreme situation'

Since a disputed independence referendum earlier this month, Madrid and Barcelona have been locked in a political crisis, considered the worst since Spain's transition to democracy.

"We tried in every way to avoid a difficult situation, but you will understand that ... we have arrived at an extreme situation," Rajoy said at a press conference during an EU summit in Brussels earlier this week.

Read more: Beyond Catalonia: Separatist movements in Western Europe

Catalan leaders' actions go "directly against the basic principles of the European Union, and this is why nobody should be surprised that the leaders of the European Union are supporting the Spanish position," he said.

Dreams of independence

Catalonia's independence movement — a brief history Rich ancient heritage Catalonia has been settled by the Phoenicians, the Etruscans and the Greeks, who were mainly in the coastal areas of Rosas and Empuries (above). Then came the Romans, who built more settlements and infrastructure. Catalonia remained a part of the Roman Empire until it was conquered by the Visigoths in the fifth century.

Catalonia's independence movement — a brief history Counties and independence Catalonia was conquered by Arabs in 711 AD. The Frankish king Charlemagne stopped their advance at Tours on the Loire River and, by 759, the north of Catalonia was once again Christian. In 1137, the counties that made up Catalonia entered an alliance with the Crown of Aragon.

Catalonia's independence movement — a brief history Autonomy and the war of succession In the 13th century, the institutions of Catalan self-administration were created under the banner of the Generalitat de Catalunya. After the unification of the Crown of Aragon with that of Castile in 1476, Aragon was largely able to keep its autonomic institutions. However, the Catalan revolt — from 1640 to 1659 — saw parts of Catalonia ceded to present-day France.

Catalonia's independence movement — a brief history Remembrance of defeat After the conquest of Barcelona on September 11, 1714, by the Bourbon King Phillip V, Catalan instuitutions were dissolved and self-administration came to an end. Every year, on September 11, Catalans commemorate the end of their right to autonomy.

Catalonia's independence movement — a brief history Federal ideas in wider republic After the abdication of King Amadeo I of Spain, the first Spanish Republic was declared in February 1873. It lasted barely a year. The supporters of the Republic were split – one group supporting the idea of a centralized republic, the others wanting a federal system. Pictured here is Francisco Pi i Maragall, a supporter of federalism and one of five presidents of the short-lived republic.

Catalonia's independence movement — a brief history Failed attempt Catalonia sought to establish a new state within the Spanish republic, but this only served to exacerbate the differences between republicans, ultimately dividing and weakening them. In 1874, the monarchy and the House of Bourbon (led by King Alfonso XII, pictured here) took the helm.

Catalonia's independence movement — a brief history Catalan Republic Between 1923 — with the support of the monarchy, the army and the church — General Primo de Rivera declared a dictatorship. Catalonia became a center of opposition and resistance. After the end of the dictatorship, the politician Francesc Macia (pictured here) successfully pressed for important rights of autonomy for Catalonia.

Catalonia's independence movement — a brief history The end of freedom In the Second Spanish Republic, Catalan lawmakers worked on the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia. This was approved by the Spanish parliament in 1932. Francesc Macia was elected president of the Generalitat of Catalonia by the Catalan parliament. However, the victory of Franco at the end of the Spanish Civil War (1936 to 1939) put an end to all that.

Catalonia's independence movement — a brief history Loss of liberties The Franco regime ruled with an iron rod. Political parties were banned and the Catalan language and culture were surpressed.

Catalonia's independence movement — a brief history New autonomy by statute After the first parliamentary elections that followed the end of the Franco dictatorship, the Generalitat of Catalonia was provisionally restored. Under the democratic Spanish constitution of 1978, Catalonia was given a new Statute of Autonomy just a year later.

Catalonia's independence movement — a brief history New and different statute The new Statute of Autonomy recognized the autonomy of Catalonia and the importance of the Catalan language. In comparison to the 1932 statute, it was enhanced in the fields of culture and education but curtailed when it came to the realm of justice. Pictured here is Jordi Pujol, the long-time head of the government of Catalonia after the dictatorship.

Catalonia's independence movement — a brief history Stronger self-awareness A desire for independence has grown stronger in recent years. In 2006, Catalonia was given a new statute that broadened the Catalan government's powers. However, it lost these after a complaint by the conservative Popular Party to the Constitutional Court of Spain.

Catalonia's independence movement — a brief history First referendum A referendum on independence was already envisaged for November 9, 2014. The first question was "Do you want Catalonia to become a state?" In the case of an affirmative answer, the second question was posed: "Do you want this state to be independent?" However, the Constitutional Court suspended the vote.

Catalonia's independence movement — a brief history Clash of the titans Since January 2016, Carles Puigdemont has been president of the Catalan government. He proceeded with the separatist course of his predecessor Artur Mas and called the new referendum for October 1, 2017. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy dismissed this as unconstitutional. Author: Richard Connor



Puigdemont's government has claimed that roughly 90 percent of voters cast their ballots in favor of independence. However, turnout was only 43 percent, with many pro-union Catalans saying they stayed away from the controversial vote.

Read more: In Catalonia, language and identity go hand in hand

After the vote, Puigdemont offered a symbolic declaration of independence but suspended the divorce process, prompting Rajoy to issue a deadline for clarification on the Catalan government's position.

Minutes before Thursday's deadline, Puigdemont refused to depart from his secessionist discourse, instead vowing to advance independence if Rajoy's government were to dismiss talks and trigger Article 155.

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