Catalonia's president replying over the week-end to Rajoy invoking Article 155
- Spanish government was acting against the democratic will of Catalans after refusing all offers of dialogue
- worst attack on Catalonia's institutions since General Franco's 1939-1975 dictatorship,
- calls for a session of the Catalan parliament to debate a response to Mr Rajoy's plans
- EU's founding values were "at risk" in Catalonia.
"I ask the (Catalan) parliament to meet in a plenary session during which we, the representatives of the citizens' sovereignty, will be able to decide over this attempt to liquidate our government and our democracy, and act in consequence."
The not unexpected response from Puigdemont comes after Rajoy and his cabinet moved to invoked Article 155, the details of which I published here yesterday and comes amid reports of 450,000 people protesting in Barcelona.
Catalan media have said Puigdemont could dissolve the regional parliament and call elections by next Friday. Under Catalan law, those elections would take place within two months. That would enable Puigdemont to go the polls earlier than envisaged by Rajoy, who spoke of a six-month timetable, and to exploit the anti-Madrid sentiment running high in the region.
The BBC has more here
Despite its teflon coat we should expect the euro to remain a little undermined by this on-going uncertainty although I don't expect any dramatic opening moves in Asia given it was largely expected/factored in for the moment.
Puigemont: Rajoy's moves are the "worst attacks against the people of Catalonia" since Spain's military dictatorship.
