Suspending Catalonia’s self-government on the table, says Spanish VP

Catalonia might be just hours away from independence. Or at least, from a declaration stating that it is no longer a part of Spain. The Catalan president is set to explain how the referendum results will be implemented on Tuesday evening in the Parliament. But the pressure is mounting. The Spanish vice president, Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, made clear on Monday that the suspension of Catalonia’s self-government is on the table in the event of a declaration of independence.

What does Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution say?

“If this man declares independence, we will need to take measures, and this will be for the Spanish government to decide,” said Sáenz de Santamaría. She did not rule out using Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, which provides that Madrid can take control of any territory’s self-government if it “seriously attacks Spain’s interests”. She said that in order to use this provision, “a consensus among the political parties” is needed. The vice president said that the measures to be taken should “harm [the Catalan people] as little as possible”.