The document passed by the Catalan Parliament outlines a 30-day plan for lawmakers to draft legislation created to lead to a Catalonian constitution, a new social security system and a local treasury.
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So for now, the possibility of Spain trying to seize control of Catalonia’s autonomous police force, known as the Mossos, or the prospect of Madrid cutting-off funding to the Catalan Government, known as the Generalitat, are just stories in Spanish newspapers.
Polls show that most Catalans support a referendum on independence, but are divided over breaking from Spain.
“We’re talking about the defense of an entire country”, Rajoy added.
The Council of State, a government advisory body, has now given the go-ahead for an appeal against a resolution passed by the Catalan parliament launching the secession process, to be submitted to the Constitutional Court (CC) today.
Rajoy said passage of the resolution was an act of “disobedience”. I will not allow it, ” Rajoy declared.
“Democracy is being undermined; everything is being undermined”, he said. They want more freedom as they are having right now.
Historian Carlos Gil Andres said that the prime minister was emerging as a figure of stability at a time of strong nationalistic sentiment.
However, this is unlikely to happen as in passing the motion to instigate moves towards independence the Catalan assembly included a clause saying it would take no notice of Spanish institutions such as the Constitutional Court and press on with the creation of Catalan institutions.
Rajoy and his Popular Party, which is strongly anti-independence, have the support of the Socialists opposition party and the new, popular center-right Ciudadanos group.
Catalonia’s government should leave this week’s parliamentary resolution unenforced.
Earlier Spanish authorities warned that if the vote in Catalonia’s parliament succeeds, Madrid will turn to the Constitutional Court.
The Spanish government on Wednesday filed a challenge against the Catalan regional parliament’s decision to set up a road map for independence from Spain by 2017.
“Everything is unconstitutional, illegal and undemocratic, because they lie when they say the majority of Catalans back a decoupling”, said Rivera.Catalonia, a region of 7.5 million people in Spain’s northeast, has its own distinctive culture and language. The declaration specifically vowed to ignore the rulings of the Constitutional Court.
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In a sign of gravity, the political situation even elicited a comment on Wednesday from Spain’s head of state, king Felipe VI.
