Madrid takes anti-monarchy motion to court despite counsel not to do so

The Spanish government will take the motion against the Spanish monarchy passed by the Catalan Parliament on October 11 to the Constitutional Court –no matter what Spain’s most senior advisory body has said.

The Council of State counseled the executive in Madrid not to challenge the text arguing that the Catalan chamber can “take stances contrary to the constitution.”

Yet the Spanish cabinet decided on Friday to take the motion to the court anyway claiming they respect the advisory body’s call, but they do not share it.

The Parliament's resolution is a “serious violation of the principle of constitutional loyalty,” said the government spokeswoman.

She claimed that the motion is one step to continue a “unilateral independence roadmap towards the proclamation of a republic."

“We do not understand why from a political and juridical point of view the attempt to abolish the monarchy and an unjustified attack to the figure of the king might be admissible,” she added.

The Catalan parliament speaker, Roger Torrent, criticized Madrid's decision and stressed that MPs at the chamber "will continue to discuss about everything." 

"Parliament decisions are not the problem, but what the monarchy did [on October 3]," said Torrent, adding that 80% of Catalans want to abolish it.