SPANISH Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy threatened Wednesday to suspend Catalonia's regional autonomy after the region said it had a mandate to split from Madrid.
In a televised address, Rajoy said that he had asked Catalan leaders to confirm if they had declared independence, "which is a requirement for any measure the government can adopt under Article 155 of the constitution."
Article 155 allows Madrid to impose central authority over its semi-autonomous regions. (Agence France-Presse)