Economics
Spain Turns Screws on Catalans With Threat of Direct Control
- Rajoy starts process of asserting control over rebel region
- Spanish government responds to Catalan President Puigdemont
Rajoy Seeks Clarity on Catalonia Independence Bid
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Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy stepped up pressure on Catalonia to halt its drive for independence, taking the first step in a process that could strip the region’s separatist government of its limited autonomy and impose direct control from Madrid.
Rajoy convened an emergency session of cabinet on Wednesday, at which ministers agreed to issue a formal request to the Catalan government for confirmation of whether it had declared independence. Rajoy cited “deliberate confusion” sown by the regional administration in Barcelona the previous day.