Spanish cabinet expected to sieze all powers from Catalonia

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is set to hold a special cabinet meeting on Saturday to implement measures to seize control from the northeastern region of Catalonia.

The Spanish cabinet is expected to recommend dissolving Catalonia’s government, taking control of the region’s 16,000-strong police force, it’s education and healthcare. There has also been agreeements to hold an early election in Catalonia, successfully removing the regional government.

Madrid has constitutional powers to retake control of rebellious regions, but has never used them before.

The meeting comes almost three weeks after Catalonia held a banned independence referendum on 1 October.  Catalonian leader Carles Puigdemont still believes that independence is necessary and threatens to declare a breakaway state.

Catalonia held a banned independence referendum on 1 October

On Friday, Rajoy said that Spain had reached a “critical point” after weeks of political limbo. He said that the government had to take action before the rule of law became “liquidised”.

King Felipe VI has also criticised Catalonia’s “unacceptable secession attempt.”

"Spain will deal with this unacceptable attempt at secession by using the Constitution," He said. "We do not want to give up that which we have built together."