Ousted Catalan President Flees To Belgium After Being Charged With Sedition
Update, October 31: The former president of Catalonia, Carles Puigdemont, has fled to Belgium after the attorney general of Spain charged him and his cabinet with sedition, rebellion and misuse of public funds.
If convicted, Puigdemont and his colleagues could face up to 30 years in jail.
Speaking from Brussels on Tuesday morning, Puigdemont spoke to the world in his first major address since Catalonia declared independence from Spain last Friday, throwing the region into chaos. "I am not here to demand political asylum," Puigdemont told a crowd of reporters at a raucous press conference. "I am here in Brussels as the capital of Europe. I am here in order to act with freedom and safety."
[Vox]
Previously: On October 1, millions of Catalans voted in favor of declaring independence from Spain, even as national police forces brutally cracked down on people trying to cast ballots in a referendum that Madrid had declared illegal. Now, with the month drawing to a close, the conflict between Catalonia's leaders and Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has intensified, with Catalonia's regional parliament officially declaring independence and Rajoy moving to take over rule of the semi-autonomous territory. Here's what's going on.
Madrid And Catalonia Have Each Been Threatening Action For About A Month
Since the election, Catalonia's separatist president, Carles Puigdemont (pictured above), has unsuccessfully implored Madrid for negotiations and suggested that he might call early regional parliamentary elections.
After the 1 October referendum, Mr Puigdemont signed a declaration of independence but delayed implementation to allow talks with the Spanish government.
A deadline set by Madrid for him to clarify his intentions came and went, prompting Mr Rajoy to announce plans to impose direct rule.
[BBC News]
On Friday, Catalonia's Parliament Voted To Declare Independence
Madrid's refusal to negotiate, combined with pressure from separatist hardliners, finally pushed Puigdemont to call a vote in parliament.
The independence motion passed in the Catalan assembly in Barcelona with 70 votes in favor, 10 against and 2 blank ballots, according to Reuters. The parliament is typically 135 members strong but politicians from the Socialist Party, the People's Party (PP) and the Ciudadanos party abstained in protest.
[CNBC]
Shortly After The Independence Vote, Spain's Senate Voted To Invoke Article 155 Of The Constitution
Prime Minister Rajoy asked the Senate to invoke Article 155 of the Spanish constitution, which allows the central government to suspend regional governments if and when they violate the Constitution or undermine the national interest.
Rajoy urged the Senate to approve Article 155 "to prevent Catalonia from being abused."
"Catalans must be protected from an intolerant minority that is awarding itself ownership of Catalonia, and is trying to subject all Catalans to the yoke of its own doctrine," the prime minister said.
The vote passed the Senate easily.
The International Community Has Expressed Support For Madrid
The president of the European Council, Donald Tusk, tweeted that the EU will continue to respect Spain's sovereignty but also made a muted plea for a peaceful resolution of the dispute.
Other Western officials came out more strongly in support of Rajoy.
The US state department also backed Rajoy's efforts to halt Catalan independence. "Catalonia is an integral part of Spain, and the United States supports the Spanish government's constitutional measures to keep Spain strong and united," said a spokeswoman.
Theresa May's spokesperson said: "The UK does not and will not recognise the unilateral declaration of independence made by the Catalan regional parliament. It is based on a vote that was declared illegal by the Spanish courts. We continue to want to see the rule of law upheld, the Spanish constitution respected and Spanish unity preserved."
Pretty Much No One Knows What Will Happen Next
So after about a month of stalemate, both sides have demonstrated they're not willing to back down. What happens now? No Spanish region has ever declared independence before, nor has Spain ever invoked Article 155, so we're in unprecedented territory at the moment. Mass protests are very likely.
Mr. Rajoy's government could start stripping Catalonia of its administrative autonomy as early as Friday night. In parallel, Spain's attorney general could seek to detain Catalan leaders on grounds of rebellion.
Such moves were likely to turn the boisterous separatist street celebrations that greeted the independence declaration on Friday into mass protests, with one Catalan labor union already calling on workers to stage a general strike from Monday.
And the possibility of armed conflict is not totally out of the question.
It was unclear on Friday how the Spanish government would use its powers. A tough crackdown could risk a repeat of the violent scenes that played out on October 1, the day of the referendum.
But it seemed unlikely that members of the Catalan government who have fought so hard for independence would simply acquiesce to Spanish government forces.
Another question was how the local Catalan police force would react if national forces were deployed to the streets of Barcelona.
[CNN]
