MADRID--Spain's government on Friday said it would petition the
constitutional court to block a symbolic vote on independence in
Catalonia, the second time in recent weeks that it has sued to halt
a ballot on the wealthy region's status.
Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría said the
Catalan plan for the Nov. 9 vote, with volunteer poll watchers and
same-day voter registration, represents a "legal fraud" and "a
perversion" of the democratic process.
It was expected the court would grant the government's request
for an injunction, as it did in September, when justices blocked a
previous Catalan government plan to hold a nonbinding referendum.
But analysts said another legal victory for Prime Minister Mariano
Rajoy's government wouldn't resolve the political discontent
simmering in Spain's leading industrial region, which is
increasingly at odds with the rest of Spain over economic and
linguistic issues.
In a news conference Friday afternoon, Catalan leader Artur Mas
vowed to put forth a vigorous legal defense of the vote, which he
has dubbed a "citizen participation process." He said: "I thought
one of the principles of democracy is listening to people and
allowing them to give their opinions. If people can't express their
opinions, then it's not a democracy of great quality." He said the
central government was being hypocritical by putting obstacles in
the path of Catalan voting plans, and then criticizing the
alternative voting measures the region was subsequently forced to
adopt.
Even before Friday's announcement of a legal action,
pro-independence citizens groups in Barcelona were anticipating
Madrid's move and calling for Catalans to rally in front of polling
places on Nov. 9. Catalonia has witnessed massive street
demonstrations in recent years, with hundreds of thousands of
pro-independence demonstrators forming a miles-long "V" for vote,
in September.
Mr. Mas canceled the original referendum on Oct. 14 after the
court injunction following the first lawsuit by Mr. Rajoy's
government. On Friday, Ms. Sáenz de Santamaría said that
Catalonia's substitute voting plan amounted to an effort to
circumvent the earlier court decision by concealing the
government's organizing role. "The person organizing [the vote]
doesn't want to assume any responsibility or sign anything," she
said.
She also accused Mr. Mas of placing thousands of volunteers in a
legally dubious position, noting that teachers were being pressed
to open schools to serve as polling places. "We intend to guarantee
the rights of the Catalans and especially public servants, whom the
local government would leave legally exposed," Ms. Sáenz de
Santamaría said.
It seemed likely that Mr. Rajoy's government would win the legal
battle and that Catalan activists would hold some kind of protest
event Nov. 9, said Emilio Sáenz-Francés, a professor of history and
international relations at Comillas Pontifical University in
Madrid. "The key question is what happens Nov. 10?" he said.
"Enforcing the law is one thing, but how does the government
resolve the divorce between Catalonia and the rest of Spanish
society?" He said it is hard to be optimistic that a solution is
close.
A poll released Friday by the Catalan government's Center for
Opinion Studies indicated that pro-independence sentiment remains
robust in Catalonia. It showed that 49.4% of Catalans would vote
"yes" to both questions on the proposed Nov. 9 independence ballot.
The first question is should Catalonia be a state. The second is
should it be an independent state. The poll found that 19.7% would
vote "no" to both questions, and 12.6% "yes" to the first question
and "no" to the second.
Catalan separatists complain that Madrid drains the region of
taxes without respecting its language or culture. The Madrid
government says it has offered Catalonia plenty of economic
assistance and that Catalonia enjoys ample autonomy under Spain's
constitution.
Write to Matt Moffett at matthew.moffett@wsj.com
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