A perpetual Article 155
Rajoy, Sanchez and Rivera agree to maintain 155 until Torra renounces ministers imprisoned or in exile making incoming government impossible
An indefinite Article 155. Or at least as long as Quim Torra persists in the appointment of four ministers, Jordi Turull, Josep Rull, Toni Comin and Lluís Puig, who were dismissed with the application of this article of the Constitution and who have now accepted the invitation of the President of the Generalitat to form part of the new government. There is no sign, therefore, of a date for the Spanish government to abandon its control of Catalonia’s self-government.
To make things clear, Rajoy has informed the leader of the PSOE, Perdo Sánchez and Ciutadans, Albert Riera, that the names of those newly appointed ministers in particular will not be published in the Official State Bulletin, a step necessary for them to legally assume office. This proposal was part of agreements reached earlier in the week with the two leaders. Sanchez, in any case, offered unwavering support for the Spanish government to invoke “necessary response” to this “affront to democracy.”
Despite the fact that some judicial sources say that such an invalidation has no legal footing, the State is certain that it is binding. It will now up to Torra to appeal to the courts which will take time. This is possibly what Madrid is looking for in the hope that the Supreme Court will act in the meantime and begin prosecution of those involved, necessarily suspending them from holding public office until a verdict has been reached.
What is unclear at this time is what the response will be from the Basque nationalists. They have promised Rajoy budget support in exchange for the lifting of Article 155 in Catalonia.