BARCELONA, Spain – The Latest on the Spain-Catalonia political crisis (all times local):
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10:50 a.m.
A Spanish opposition Socialist politician says that her party and Spain’s government have reached an agreement to hold a regional election in Catalonia in January as a way to resolve one of the country’s deepest political crises in decades.
Spain’s central government is planning to take control of some of Catalonia’s powers by activating Article 155 of the Constitution to crush an independence bid by regional leaders. One of the possibilities being floated is to dissolve the regional parliament and call a new election.
Opposition Socialist party official Carmen Calvo made the announcement Friday about a deal with Spain to do just that.
A special Cabinet meeting on Saturday in Madrid is expected to trigger Article 155, which would pave the way for the central government’s intervention in Catalonia.
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9:50 a.m.
Bank customers in Catalonia are withdrawing money from financial institutions that have moved their official headquarters to other locations in Spain amid a political crisis over the region’s independence bid.
Pro-independence umbrella group Crida Democracia called on consumers late Thursday to put pressure on banks that made the decision. Dozens of people were lining up Friday at a CaixaBank branch in downtown Barcelona, most of them withdrawing 150 or 160 euros from ATMs.
The amounts were the closest to 155, in reference to the Spanish constitutional article with which the central government plans to revoke some of Catalonia’s autonomous powers to prevent regional politicians from pushing ahead with secession.
CaixaBank and Banco Sabadell, the largest Catalan lenders, are among financial institutions that have moved their official registration out of Catalonia.
