Spanish prime minister Pedro Sánchez has described as "unacceptable" the bill passed in the Catalan Parliament today censuring king Felipe VI and calling for the abolition of the monarchy. He announced that his government "will adopt the legal measures at its disposal in defence of the law, the Constitution and the institutions of the state". In a statement, released shortly after the chamber voted to pass the bill, the government says that "the constitutional position of the head of state should always remain outside being used in partisan debate".
They say that the bill is the "product of the drift of the pro-independence groups" with "inexplicable support" from Catalunya En Comú-Podem. Although the Moncloa attributes the bill to the pro-independence parties, the draft that was finally passed was introduced by En Comú.
Es inadmisible la resolución votada esta tarde en el Parlament de Cataluña que pretende rechazar y condenar al jefe del Estado. Este #Gobierno adoptará las medidas legales a su alcance en defensa de la legalidad, la Constitución y las instituciones del Estado.
— Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) 11 d’octubre de 2018