Spanish PM Asks Senate for Powers to Dismiss Catalonia's President

The request came shortly before the Catalan parliament met to agree its response and pro-independence parties filed a proposal for a debate on a declaration of independence, the Guardian reported.

Addressing the senate on Friday morning, Rajoy said Carles Puigdemont’s decision to flout the Spanish constitution by holding a unilateral independence referendum earlier this month had forced the central government to take the unprecedented step of imposing direct rule.

In a speech punctuated by loud applause, he requested permission to remove Puigdemont’s administration, saying recent events in Catalonia represented "a clear violation of the laws, of democracy, of the rights of all – and that has consequences”.

The senate, in which Rajoy’s governing People’s party (PP) has a majority, is expected to approve the series of measures proposed under article 155 of the Spanish constitution later on Friday.

Rajoy said Puigdemont’s continued refusal to confirm whether or not independence had been declared was a step too far. The Catalan leader declared independence but suspended the effects for two months to allow for dialogue with Madrid.

"He was given the opportunity to clarify whether there had been a unilateral declaration of independence,” the prime minister said. "This is not a trifling matter. An answer was required and it wasn’t a difficult one: yes or no.”

He also criticized Puigdemont for turning down an invitation to explain himself before the senate, and said: "Dialogue has two enemies. The first is abusing the law, ignoring it and disobeying it. The second is when someone only wishes to listen to themselves and won’t understand or try to understand others.”

The Catalan parliament is due to meet later on Friday morning to discuss its response to the invocation of 155, which has never been used since it was written into Spain’s 1978 constitution. It is also set to vote on a declaration of independence.

Separatist Catalan MPs filed a motion before the plenary session to hold a vote on whether to create "a Catalan republic as an independent and sovereign state of democratic and social law”.

The proposal, brought by the region’s ruling Together for Yes coalition and their far-left allies the CUP party, prompted opposition MPs from the People’s party, the Catalan socialist party and the centrist Ciutadans party to announce that they would not take part in such a vote.

Inés Arrimadas‏, the leader of the Catalan opposition, tweeted: "Obviously we will not participate in a vote on the proposal from Puigdemont and his partners, which aims to eliminate democracy and co-existence in Catalonia. The only way out is the calling of elections to restore legality, autonomy and, most importantly, democracy.”

The Catalan leader dashed hopes of a possible way out of the crisis on Thursday when he refused to call a snap election, saying he could not offer fresh polls without a firm guarantee that the Spanish government would suspend its threat to impose direct rule.

"We have not received the necessary guarantees to justify holding elections,” he said in an address at the regional government palace in Barcelona. "We have tried to get them but we have not had a responsible response from the PP and they have chosen to increase the tension. I have run out of options.”