Spain Unleashes Extraordinary Powers to Take Out Catalan Rebels
- Rajoy fires the whole Catalan government, dissolves parliament
- Catalan regional elections called for Dec. 21, Rajoy says
Rajoy Dissolves Catalan Parliament, Calls for Election
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy wielded emergency powers granted by the Spanish Senate at once on Friday, dismissing the Catalan government and dissolving its parliament, as he sought to restore control of the rebel region.
In a televised statement, Rajoy called regional elections for Dec. 21 in a bid to draw a line under weeks of upheaval in the country’s biggest regional economy that saw hundreds of businesses shift their domicile to other parts of Spain to escape the turmoil. He also fired a police chief from the regional force, shut down most of the Catalan government’s diplomatic service and eliminated the offices of president and vice president. Rajoy created a special department in Madrid to oversee the measures.