Spanish Cabinet to meet in wake of Catalan independence vote
Xinhua
1509117205000

The Spanish Cabinet of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is scheduled to meet at 6:00 p.m. local time (1600 GMT) on Friday in the wake of the decision by the Catalan Parliament to support a unilateral declaration of independence.

The Parliament voted to adopt the measure with 70 votes in favor, 10 against and two blank ballot papers in a secret vote which was not attended by members of the People's Party, Ciudadanos or the Socialist Party.

Directly after the vote, Rajoy posted a tweet in which he asked for "calm from all Spaniards. The rule of law will restore legality in Catalonia."

The Cabinet meeting comes after the Spanish Senate voted to approve the application of Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, with 214 votes in favor and 47 against.

The article will be put into effect immediately following the Cabinet meeting and will see Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and his executive team sacked from their positions, and the control of key Catalan institutions, such as the police force and treasury, handed to Madrid over the coming days.

Meanwhile, the Spanish Constitutional Court will sit in either the coming hours or on Monday in order to consider an appeal presented by the Catalan branch of the Socialist Party (PSC) against the validity of Friday's session in Catalan Parliament, thus leaving the pro-independence vote without effect.