In the on-going battle of wills between Barcelona and Madrid over independence, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has now called for talks about the planned referendum.
The call came after Catalan leader Artur Mas said the referendum would go ahead as scheduled despite a ruling by Spain’s Constitutional Court that such a referendum would be illegal
The Court only agreed last month to consider Madrid’s case against the vote. The process predictably will not be swift but their decision means that the referendum is suspended until a decision is reached.
Catalonia now says it is looking at possible legal arguments to persuade the Constitutional Court to lift that suspension.
Mr Rajoy said the ways out of the situation is through law and dialogue. “I want us to stay together,” he added.
Hundreds of thousands of the 7.5 million Catalonian inhabitants have taken to the streets in recent weeks to demand the referendum.
The population represents 16% of Spain. It has a distinct language and culture and is one of the country’s richest regions, a factor which has led many to complain about funding other parts of the nation.
A number of polls have indicated that the majority of Catalans are in favour of holding a referendum, but that the “yes” and “no” votes are about 50% each.
