Spain moved on Thursday to suspend Catalan's autonomy after the Catalan leader refused to meet the deadline Madrid imposed on the to abandon independence.
Madrid said in a statement on Thursday that it would invoke article 155 of the Spanish constitution, which would begin stripping the region of its autonomy.
“At an emergency meeting on Saturday, the cabinet will approve measures to be put before the senate to protect the general interest of Spaniards, including the citizens of Catalonia, and to restore constitutional order in the autonomous community,” the statement said, criticising the Catalan government for “deliberately and systematically seeking institutional confrontation, despite the serious damage it is causing to coexistence and Catalonia’s economy."
The Catalan leader Mr Puigdemont earlier criticised Madrid's stance, in a letter to the Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy.
“The suspension [of the independence declaration] is still in place. The [Spanish] state is entitled to decide to apply article 155 if it secures the senate’s approval,” The Guardian quoted the letter as saying.
“But despite all our efforts and our desire for dialogue, the fact that the only reply we have been given is that autonomy will be suspended suggests that you do not understand the problem and do not wish to talk."
“If the [Spanish] government persists in hindering dialogue and continues with its repression, the Catalan parliament could, if it deems appropriate, proceed to vote on the formal declaration of independence, which it did not do on 10 October.”
