[Spain]: 24 Horas

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CABINET MEMBERS RESIGN IN HUGE WAKE UP CALL​

Members of the cabinet of Pedro Sánchez have tendered their resignation to the Prime Minister due to the lack of response coming out of the Prime Ministers residence in regards to the reported invasion of aircraft over the Balearic Islands and with the current situation across Europe with the freezing sea temperatures. The Prime Minister did convince the former ministers to stay but they had lost faith and the Prime Minister immediately got to work in replacing the Ministers to keep up a response to both situations.

:: Minister of Foreign Affairs, Global Assembly and Cooperation: Susana Díaz will replace Josep Borrell
:: Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food: Bibiana Aído will replace Luis Planas
:: Minister of Health, Consumption and Social Welfare: Eva Granados will replace Carmen Montón
:: Minister for Ecological Transition: Jesús Caldera will replace Teresa Ribera
:: Minister of Sport and Culture: Pep Guardiola will replace Màxim Huerta

People around Spain have praised the Prime Minister for choosing these replacement ministers but many opposition parties are calling for the Prime Minister to resign, branding his term a shambles.

 

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Spain will hold a general election on Sunday, in a battle between the established parties, Catalan and Basque nationalists, and a rising far right.

Support for the previous winner, the conservative People's Party, has collapsed amid a corruption scandal which ousted former Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy. Its main opponent, the Socialist party, has climbed to the top of the polls after taking over the prime minister's job last year. Podemos on the left and Ciudadanos (Citizens) on the right are seeing their support fall, amid a boom for the controversial far-right Vox party.

The last pre-election polls suggested that up to four in 10 voters had yet to make up their minds.

Opinion polls may not tell the full story, particularly with so many undecided voters. But potential outcomes for a government include:

- Socialists, left-wing Podemos, plus small nationalist parties
- Centre-right PP, liberal Ciudadanos and far-right Vox
- Socialists and Ciudadanos

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Spain's governing Socialists have won the country's third election in four years, but are short of a majority.

Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez's party polled 29% and will need the help of either left-wing Podemos and regional parties, or the centre right, to form a government.

Far-right party Vox also won seats - the first time a significant far-right force has done so in decades.

Vox opposes multiculturalism, unrestricted migration, and what it calls "radical feminism".

Analysts say support for Vox has been boosted by widespread anger at separatists in the province of Catalonia, who want independence from Spain. Vox fervently opposes any concessions to the secessionists.

The other big story of the election was the collapse in support for the conservative Popular Party (PP), which governed Spain until it was dumped from power in a no-confidence vote.

In its worst election ever, the PP won just 66 seats, down from 137 in the previous parliament.

 

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The Spanish government has taken control of Catalonia, dissolved its parliament and announced new elections after secessionist Catalan MPs voted to establish an independent republic, pushing the country’s worst political crisis in 40 years to new and dangerous heights.

Speaking on Friday evening, the Spanish prime minister, Pedro Sánchez, said his cabinet had fired the regional president, Carles Puigdemont, and ordered regional elections to be held on 21 December. Sánchez said the Catalan government had been removed along with the head of the regional police force, the Mossos d’Esquadra. The Catalan government’s international embassy in Ireland is to shut down.

“I have decided to call free, clean and legal elections as soon as possible to restore democracy,” he told a press conference, adding that the aim of the measures was to “restore the self-government that has been eliminated by the decisions of the Catalan government.

“We never, ever wanted to get to this situation. Nor do we think that it would be good to prolong this exceptional state of affairs. But as we have always said, this is not about suspending autonomy but about restoring it.”

The actions came hours after Spain’s national unity suffered a decisive blow when Catalan MPs in the 135-seat regional parliament voted for independence by a margin of 70 votes to 10. Dozens of opposition MPs boycotted the secret ballot, marching out of the chamber in Barcelona before it took place and leaving Spanish and Catalan flags on their empty seats in protest.

Minutes later in Madrid, the Spanish senate granted Pedro Sánchez unprecedented powers to impose direct rule on Catalonia under article 155 of the constitution. The article, which has never been used, allows Sánchez to sack Puigdemont and assume control of Catalonia’s civil service, police, finances and public media. The Prime Minister has appointed Nadia Calviño who is currently serving as the Minister of Economy and Business as the Acting President of Catalonia until elections can be held.

 

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The Government of The Republic of Ireland hereby condemns the actions of Spain directed against the Catalan struggle for self determination and independence noting that the people of Catalonia have spoken through the ballot box making it crystal clear that they have no such desire to remain apart of Spain and that consequently, Spain is in no position to speak of democratic mandates while denying the right of nationhood to Catalonia.

The Republic od Ireland proclaims its steadfast support for Catalonia out of sympathy for the plight of its children, a plight not unlike that of Catholics in pre independence Ireland and in post-partition Northern Ireland.