Prime minister Mariano Rajoy says that next month’s elections in Cataluña will end “separatist havoc” in the region. He was speaking in Barcelona on Sunday during his first visit to the city since direct rule from Madrid was imposed three weeks ago.
Sr Rajoy said that he had “exhausted all avenues” before the decision was taken to oust former Catalan president Carles Puigdemont and detain several of his senior colleagues. Speaking at a Partido Popular event, he called on the “silent majority” who refused to participate in the illegal independence referendum on October 1 to “convert their voice into a vote” in the election scheduled for December 21.
