Now the finish line is known, the independence spirit in Catalonia has some six weeks to make its case and win the referendum, but reactions to the set date have varied, and not everyone is happy with Catalan President Artur Mas’s decision to go for broke.
The leader of the Spanish region has signed a decree calling a referendum on independence from Spain for November 9.
In Madrid the position remains that the vote is illegal unless ruled otherwise by the Constitutional Court.
“No government and no one is above the law, because no-one is against the sovereign will of the Spanish people. The nation’s government has the duty to protect the law and Spaniards’ rights. So we have taken the first steps this morning to undertake a judicial review against the consultation law and the referendum decree,” said Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister Soroya Saenz de Santamaria.
“We cannot continue like this, we are not going anywhere. There won’t be a solution without voting. There won’t be a long-term solution if Catalans can’t express themselves. The way forward is dialogue, negotiations and a pact,” said the leader of the Catalan Socialists Miquel Iceta.
Mas says he will not break the law, so if the court does ban the referendum, he is expected to call elections in Catalonia.
