Spain’s Constitutional Court has suspended a motion passed in the Catalan parliament earlier this week, which backs independence from Spain.
The court agreed to hear the Spanish government’s appeal against the motion.
The resolution passed on Monday called on the Catalan regional assembly to aim for independence in 18 months.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy called the motion a “blatant disregard for the state’s institution… they are trying to do away with democracy”.
He announced the decision to involve the Constitutional Court after an emergency cabinet meeting earlier on Wednesday.
“We’re talking about the defence of an entire country. They are trying to liquidate the unity of a nation with more than five centuries of history,” he said.
The Constitutional Court had been expected to rule in favour of the government.
The 11-judge panel agreed to hear the government’s lawsuit against the Catalan move, meaning the motion is automatically suspended for a number of months while legal hearings are held.
The panel also agreed to Madrid’s request that the judges “personally” notify acting Catalan President Artur Mas, his cabinet and the president of the regional assembly, Carme Forcadell, of the consequences should they decide not to abide by the court’s ruling.
The pro-secession parties had fully expected Monday’s motion, passed by Catalonia’s regional parliament, to be declared illegal and as part of the motion argued that the court lacks legitimacy.
As well as aiming for independence within 18 months, the motion also allows 30 days to launch legislation on a Catalan constitution, treasury and social security system.
Opinion polls suggest a majority of Catalans favour a referendum on independence, but are evenly divided over whether to secede.
Catalan nationalist parties, who had said before the vote that they considered it a de facto referendum on independence from Spain, secured a majority of seats in September’s elections but fell short of winning half the vote.
Two big separatist parties make up the “Together for Yes” (“Junts pel Si”) coalition but they needed the help of the far-left CUP (Popular Unity) party to secure an absolute majority in the Catalan parliament.
Artur Mas, who has spearheaded the drive for secession, has been trying to win re-election as Catalonia’s president but has failed to secure the approval of the far-left party. The CUP has called for another Together for Yes candidate, Raul Romeva, to take over the leadership role.
Several parties oppose secession in Catalonia, including the Catalan Socialists and Citizens (Ciudadanos), a centre-right party which was born in the north-eastern region but has attracted increasing popularity across Spain.
Its leader, Albert Rivera, said earlier this week: “To those Catalans who want independence: the solution is not to break up the country, it is to reform it.”
The rise in tensions between Madrid and Catalonia comes just weeks before Spaniards vote in the general election, on 20 December. It is not yet clear who will win the election but every party will want wealthy Catalonia to remain a part of Spain, observers say. -BBC.
