We will suspend Catalonia's autonomy says Spain's government

According to article 155 of the constitution the Spain's government has said they will suspend Catalonia's political autonomy. 

           

The announcement came after the Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont
said his parliament could vote on a formal declaration of independence if Spain continued to refuse to hold talks.

Mr Puigdemont ignored a deadline to drop the independence bid, issuing a letter that demanded further dialogue just minutes before the 10am cutoff imposed by Mr Rajoy.

"If the government continues to impede dialogue and continues with the repression, the Catalan parliament could proceed, if it is considered opportune, to vote on a formal declaration of independence," it said.

Activating article 155 is an unprecedented step for the Spanish government, and an emergency cabinet meeting scheduled for Saturday will discuss what the move will involve.

A government statement said it "will continue with the procedures outlined in article 155 of the Constitution to restore legality in Catalonia's self-government."

Catalan leadership has been locked in a standoff with Spain following a contested independence referendum on 1 October. Some 90% of voters backed separation in the ballot, but just 40% of the eligible population case a vote.

In the weeks following Mr Puigdemont did not commit to a formal declaration, instead calling for further dialogue.

but Mr Rajoy's government deemed the referendum unconstitutional and refused to recognise it, threatening to suspend Catalan autonomy if the region pressed ahead with independence.