Spain PM Rajoy rules out national election after Catalan separatists win vote

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has ruled out calling a national election after Catalan separatists won a regional vote, Reuters said. In a bid to resolve the country’s biggest political crisis in decades, Rajoy had gambled on unionist parties taking control of Catalonia’s regional government. It was sacked in October by the Spanish PM for illegally pursuing independence from Spain. On Friday, Rajoy said he would make an effort to hold talks with the new Catalan government. He did not clarify whether he would be willing to meet deposed Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, who is in self-imposed exile in Brussels.