Spain’s PM hopes takeover of Catalonia by Madrid won’t last

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has expressed hope that the central government’s takeover of Catalonia – including the removal of the regional government and cutting parliament’s powers under Article 155 of the Constitution – will be “brief.” The measures are the “only possible” answer to “restore legality,” Rajoy said, according to EL Mundo. The Senate is expected to approve the move on Friday. The Spanish government said it intends to impose direct rule after the autonomous region’s authorities proceeded with an independence referendum, considered illegal by Madrid.