Catalonia's regional president Artur Mas speaks after he signed a decree calling for the region's elections to be held on September 27 at Palau de la Generalitat in Barcelona, Spain, August 3, 2015, in this handout courtesy of the Catalonian regional government. REUTERS/Ruben Moreno Garcia/Generalitat de Catalunya/Handout via Reuters
MADRID (Reuters) - Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Tuesday lambasted Catalan plans to test support for independence by holding a regional election, saying he would not allow anyone to break up Spain or to derail an economic recovery.
Rajoy's broadside against Catalan President Artur Mas's scheduling of regional elections for Sept. 27 came as his government presented a 2016 budget intended to show the ruling People's Party as the best qualified to maintain economic stability after national elections due by the end of the year.
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