Spanish Court Suspends Catalonia Referendum

Catalonia again calls for independence referendum

Madrid, MINA – The Constitutional Court approved the Spanish government’s appeal against the constitutionality of a law on vote on the independence of Catalonia from Spain, KUNA reported.

The referendum, slated to take place on October 1, 2017, breaches the constitution of the country, the state-TV reported Thursday evening, citing the verdict that came one day after the Catalan regional government approved the bill. The judges unanimously ruled that the law should be suspended for a renewable five-month period pending a final ruling.

The government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy appealed against the law earlier today.

Rajoy vowed to do everything to block Catalonia’s independence, saying that the referendum violates the constitution and sovereignty of the country.

He warned Catalan separatist leaders against possible prosecution. On a similar note, the constitutional court warned that more than 1,000 political leaders in Catalonia, including 60 members of the region’s government and 947 municipal leaders and mayors could face criminal charges if they failed to respect its verdict. (T/RS5/RS1)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)