Madrid to keep direct rule of Catalonia if former leader reelected: PM

MADRID (Reuters) – Madrid will continue to run Catalonia’s government if sacked former leader Carles Puigdemont is voted regional president by the Catalan parliament while in self-imposed exile in Brussels, Spain’s Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Monday.

“It’s absurd that someone aspires to be president of the Catalan regional government as a fugitive in Brussels – it’s a case of common sense,” Rajoy said in a speech on Monday.