<div align="justify">Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Wednesday took the first step towards activating article 155 of the Spanish constitution, a so-called nuclear option that would allow him to suspend Catalonia's political autonomy and take over the region.<br /><br />"The cabinet has agreed to require formally to the Catalan government to confirm whether it has declared or not independence," Rajoy said in a televised address.<br /><br />"The answer from the Catalan president will determine future events, in the next few days," he also said, adding he would keep acting in a "cautious and responsible" way.<br /><br />This formal requirement is needed to trigger the article 155 though the constitution does not establish any specific time frame for the answer.</div>
<div align="justify">Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Wednesday took the first step towards activating article 155 of the Spanish constitution, a so-called nuclear option that would allow him to suspend Catalonia's political autonomy and take over the region.<br /><br />"The cabinet has agreed to require formally to the Catalan government to confirm whether it has declared or not independence," Rajoy said in a televised address.<br /><br />"The answer from the Catalan president will determine future events, in the next few days," he also said, adding he would keep acting in a "cautious and responsible" way.<br /><br />This formal requirement is needed to trigger the article 155 though the constitution does not establish any specific time frame for the answer.</div>