State of Play. Over the weekend, the..........>

SPAIN: State of Play. Over the weekend, the Spanish government took steps to

take back some of Catalonia's autonomous powers and remove Catalonia's

leadership.

- In coming days, Catalonia lawmakers are seeking to call a regional

parliamentary meeting. The are some calls for Catalonia to formally call for

independence. 

- Article 155 is set for a vote in the Central govt's Senate on Friday and

should pass easily.

- Fresh Catalan elections look likely but a poll from GESOP undertaken on 16-19

October shows a similar make-up to the existing Parliament.

- Barclays economists, Antonio Garcia Pascual and Apolline Menut believe

"independence remains highly unlikely as it would require important

constitutional changes. Spain's non-separatist parties - PP, PSOE and Ciudadanos

- hold more than two-thirds of the seats in the Spanish parliament (254 of

350)."