Catalan parliament blocked by Spanish court from declaring independence
Catalan parliament blocked by Spanish court from declaring independence
Constitutional court suspends
Monday session, ruling that allowing possible declaration would violate MPs’
rights
Spain’s constitutional court has moved to stop the Catalan
government making a unilateral declaration of independence by suspending the
regional parliament session in which the results of Sunday’s referendum were
due to be discussed.
On
Thursday, the court upheld a challenge by Catalonia’s Socialist party – which
opposes secession from Spain – ruling that allowing the Catalan
parliament to meet on Monday and potentially declare independence would violate
the rights of the party’s MPs.
The court warned that any session carried out in defiance of its
ban would be “null”, and added that the parliament’s leaders could face
criminal action if they ignored the court order.
Carme
Forcadell, president of the Catalan parliament, said Monday’s session had not
yet been formally convened, but that the court’s decision to suspend it “harms
freedom of expression and the right of initiative of members of this parliament
and shows once more how the courts are being used to solve political problems.”
The Catalan government is understood to be meeting to discuss its response to the
latest move by the court. It has previously ignored the constitutional court’s
rulings, not least its order to suspend the referendum itself.
In a television address on Wednesday evening, the Catalan
president, Carles Puigdemont, repeated his calls for mediation and dialogue
with the Spanish government, but said the results of the vote would be put
before parliament. “On Sunday we had a referendum under the most difficult
circumstances and set an example of who we are,” he said. “Peace and accord is
part of who we are. We have to apply the results of the referendum. We have to
present the results of the referendum to parliament.”
Speaking
ahead of Thursday’s court decision, the Spanish prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, said the situation would only
escalate further if the Catalan government carried on the path of a unilateral
declaration. “Is there a solution? Yes, there is,” Rajoy told the Spanish news
agency Efe. “And the best one would be a return to legality and the swiftest
possible confirmation that there won’t be a unilateral independence declaration,
because that way still greater harm could be avoided.”
Thursday’s court ruling raises the question of how the Spanish
state will respond if Catalans decide to push ahead with Monday’s session.
The Madrid government has refused to rule out invoking article 155 of the
constitution. The article, which has never been used, makes provision for the
central government to step in and take control of an autonomous region if it
“does not fulfil the obligations imposed upon it by the constitution or other
laws, or acts in a way that is seriously prejudicial to the general interest of
Spain”.
However,
given the heightened tensions in Catalonia and the huge protests seen across
the region this week, the move could prove counterproductive, and Puigdemont
has already warned that the the triggering of the article would be the Spanish
government’s “ultimate mistake”.
The Catalan government says that hundreds of people were injured on Sunday after Spanish police attempted to halt the independence referendum by raiding polling stations, beating voters and firing
rubber bullets at crowds.
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