Spanish Senate approves direct rule in Catalonia

International Desk: The Spanish Senate has approved direct rule in Catalonia after the Catalan regional government's parliament voted to declare for independence.

The vote by the upper house on Article 155 on Friday allows the government of Mariano Rajoy to rule Catalonia directly from Madrid.

Rajoy, the Spanish prime minister, is now expected to convene his cabinet to adopt the first measures to govern Catalonia.

In a post on social media, Rajoy called for "calm" across the country, even as he called the Catalonia parliament vote a "crime".

Article 155 of the 1978 Spanish Constitution allows for the suspension of autonomy of regional governments if it "doesn't comply with the obligations of the Constitution or other laws it imposes, or acts in a way that seriously undermines the interests of Spain".

The Constitution states that an absolute majority must approve the article's use.

Al Jazeera's Hoda Abdel Hamid, reporting from Madrid, the first step for Spain's central government takes after Article 155 is to dissolve the Catalan parliament and dismiss the regional president.

She said there is a "sense of urgency" in the Spanish parliament to take action and block the independence move.

Source: Aljazeera

risingbd/Dhaka/October 27, 2017/A K Azad