The Spanish government yesterday immediately rejected a threat by Catalonia’s leader to declare independence unless talks are held, calling a special Cabinet session for the weekend to activate measures to take control of the region’s semi-autonomous powers.
Catalan President Carles Puigdemont’s warning came in a letter to Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy with minutes to spare before the expiration of a deadline set by the central government for him to backtrack on his calls for secession.
“If the central government persists in impeding dialogue and continuing its repression, Catalonia’s parliament may proceed ... with a vote to formally declare independence,” Puigdemont’s letter said.
Photo: Reuters
The Spanish government quickly responded with a statement saying it was calling a special Cabinet session for tomorrow in which it would trigger the process to activate Article 155 of Spain’s 1978 constitution. It allows for central authorities to take over the semi-autonomous powers of any of the nation’s 17 regions, including Catalonia.
The Cabinet meeting would “approve the measures that will be sent to the Senate to protect the general interest of all Spaniards,” the statement said.
The constitutional law has never been used in the four decades since democracy was restored at the end of General Francisco Franco’s dictatorship.
The Spanish government needs to outline what are the exact measures it wants to apply in Catalonia and submit them for a vote in the Senate.
The ruling Popular Party’s majority in the top chamber would be enough to approve the measure, but Rajoy has held discussions with opposition leaders to rally further support.
Puigdemont addressed the regional parliament on Tuesday last week, saying he had the mandate under a banned Oct. 1 referendum to declare independence from Spain, but he immediately suspended the implementation of the secession proclamation and called for talks with Spain and international mediators.
However, the Spanish government responded by setting two deadlines for Puigdemont — a Monday one for him to say a simple “yes” or “no” to whether he indeed had declared independence, and a second one yesterday morning for him to fall in line with the nation’s laws.
The Spanish government said that Puigdemont has not offered any clarity in his replies.
Catalans would consider the application of Article 155 an “invasion” of the region’s self-government, while Madrid portrayed it as an undesired move, yet a necessary one, to restore legality after Puigdemont’s government pushed ahead with a banned referendum that violated the constitution.
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique