Madrid sacks Catalonia's leaders and announces fresh regional elections for December

Madrid has sacked Catalonia’s leaders, police chief and parliament and announced fresh regional elections for December 21.

Mariano Rajoy, Spain’s prime minister, made the announcement after a special meeting of his cabinet on Friday evening.

It comes after Catalonia’s parliament declared independence on Friday afternoon.

In summary

Madrid sacks Catalonia's leader and parliament and says there will be elections on December 21.

It comes after Catalonia's parliament declared independence from Spain earlier on Friday.

Declaration likely to be just symbolic as neither Spain or its international allies will recognise it.

Yesterday, Catalan chief Carles Puigdemont rejected the chance to call for regional elections.

He was expected to announce them in a bid to diffuse tensions with Madrid

Madrid is angry the region went ahead with a referendum on independence on October 1.

It's Spain's worst political crisis since the end of the military dictatorship of Francisco Franco in 1975.

SOURCE: euronews
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