Senate votes to trigger Article 155

Described by the BBC as 'Spain's nuclear option', Article 155 – which strips powers from a 'rebellious and disobedient' regional government and places it under State rule – has never been used in the 39-year history of the country's Magna Carta.

Triggered at 16.09 today (Friday, October 27), this unprecedented move – modelled on Germany's Federal system – effectively means Catalunya's government is de facto dismissed, including its president, Carles Puigdemont and deputy president, Oriol Junqueras.

But this has not been officially announced, and the Senate's approval is not necessarily irreversible – if a dramatic about-turn occurs in Catalunya, the State may consider going back on Article 155.

The reigning right-wing PP government holds a majority in the Senate – although it is in minority in Parliament – meaning the vote to invoke Article 155 was practical a certainty, but other parties in direct opposition to the PP have backed the move.

All the socialists (PSOE) voted in favour, except its sole member on Catalunya's regional branch, the PSC, who left the room during the voting.

Ciudadanos and various minority regional parties, including the Canarian Coalition, backed the proposal.

Left-wing Podemos, Spain's third-largest political force, voted against triggering Article 155 – although its members are totally against Catalunya's becoming independent, they believe the only way to resolve the situation in a civilised manner which would satisfy everyone would be to allow a legal referendum.

Catalunya Left Republicans (ERC) and PDeCAT, both pro-independence regional parties, voted against, as did the Basque reunification party EH Bildu and the Basque National Party, PNV.

In total, 214 votes called for Article 155 to be applied with immediate effect, with another 47 against and one abstention, the PSC member who left the room.

The marathon six-hour debate presided by Rajoy and nine of his ministers, which was not without some tense moments, ended with the vote to take this historic last-resort action.

Socialists had earlier presented a motion calling for the PP government to apply Article 155 'in a proportional manner' and to lift it as soon as circumstances change and 'the causes that motivated it' disappear.

The PP has accepted this, along with a second, last-minute amendment from the socialists, which called for the State not to intervene in public communications media based in Catalunya, meaning the government will not necessarily take control of Ràdio Catalunya or TV3.

Before entering Parliament, the PSOE withdrew its proposal of not applying Article 155 if Catalunya called a regional election – although just hours before, the north-eastern territory's president Carles Puigdemont announced he would not be calling an election in December after all since 'the decision to apply Article 155 seems to have been made already'.

Rajoy insists there is 'no alternative' and says Puigdemont is 'the only one' who has decided to trigger Article 155.

“The unprecedented, legal and democratic use of this Constitutional tool is not seeking to suspend Catalunya's autonomy, but to consolidate it,” Rajoy stressed.

“It is not aimed at eliminating rights, but at protecting them; it is not a threat to Catalunya, it merely prevents its current governors from abusing their power through anti-democratic decisions which are against the law and a violation of citizens' rights.”

Rajoy dismissed criticisms that his government had refused to dialogue with Catalunya.

“The separatists only proposed talks in order to discuss the terms and timescales of declaring independence, but there was no shortage of offers at dialogue from us,” Rajoy insists.

“Sr Puigdemont did not respond to the government's requests, he did not appear in the Senate – which I would have done in his shoes – and instead chose to embark on deceiving the region's people with impossible journeys to an Ithaca that does not exist.”