Catalan leader Puigdemont offered chance to debate over Article 155

Madrid, Oct 25 : The Spanish Senate has offered Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont a chance to debate with them over the application of Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution.

This would see him and his government sacked and the control of key Catalan institutions handed over to the central government.

The Senate is expected to approve the application of the article on Friday after it was passed by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's cabinet Saturday last week, Xinhua news agency reported.

However, it has been mooted in recent days that Puigdemont could travel to Madrid in a bid to avert this happening.

Speaking to Spanish media, the deputy leader of the Senate, Pedro Sanz, said it would "be an honour to have the President of the Generalitat (Catalan government) here to be able to participate in the debate."

Sanz added that the Senate's role was "not to oblige the (Spanish) government to act, but to give permission for measures to be applied."

Meanwhile, Rajoy's People's Party commented that if he does go to the Senate, Puigdemont should do so on Thursday or Friday, saying they have been "generous" with the offer of two dates.

Shortly after Sanz's comments, the spokesman for the Catalan government, Jordi Turul, said that Puigdemont's idea "was to go to the Senate, but they are making it harder for us all of the time."

He said this in reference to the debate in the Senate over Article 155 which will start on Thursday and could continue until Friday, while the Catalan Parliament will also hold a session on Thursday in which Puigdemont may or may not make a unilateral declaration of independence.

It is also possible that Puigdemont could use that session to call regional elections in the hope of avoiding the application of Article 155.