Spain’s top court suspends plan for Catalan independence referendum
Spain’s Constitutional Court has decided to suspend a new plan by the Catalan regional government to hold a referendum on secession from mainland Spain.
After considering a legal challenge to the referendum by the Spanish government, the high court ruled on Wednesday against the bid, which was planned for next year.
The verdict is the latest in a long legal battle between Catalans and Madrid.
Authorities in Catalonia had vowed to bring about independence for the powerful northeastern region in 2017. Madrid has insisted over the years that Catalans are constitutionally barred from either secession or holding a referendum.
The plan for the 2017 referendum emerged when Catalan President Carles Puigdemont pledged to hold the vote in September that year regardless of what was agreed in Madrid. The regional parliament had subsequently approved the plan.
The high court in Madrid said in its Wednesday verdict that the resolution by the regional parliament had to be suspended. It also warned politicians involved in the process, including Parliament Speaker Carme Forcadell and Puigdemont, that they were legally obliged to stop any move to ignore or dodge the suspension. Otherwise, it said, the officials would face "potential liabilities, including at a penal level." The court said it had five months to decide whether to implement the suspension for good or lift it.
Catalonia’s regional government has repeatedly made attempts for independence but it has failed due to a division among the residents of the region. Recent polls have shown that nearly half of Catalonia's 7.5 million residents are against being separated from Spain. However, many in the wealthy region, which provides almost a fifth of the Spanish economic output, have been wishing greater autonomy from Madrid in recent years. They argue that Spain's recent economic downturn is making Catalans to pay more taxes to the central government to subsidize poorer regions.
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