Mas stresses need for plebiscitary independence elections following Constitutional Court ruling

Barcelona (ACN) – The President of the Catalan government, Artur Mas, has told parties favouring the right to self-determination on Thursday to "enhance" the plebiscitary character of the 27-S elections after the Spanish Constitutional Court (TC) ruled the Catalan government's preparations for the 9-N election unconstitutional. The 9-N ballot asked voters whether Catalonia should be independent. He also called out the "contrarians and sceptics" of the process, who yet have "profound democratic convictions", to ask themselves what path remains. According to Mas, the judgment evidences that the Constitution has become a "dead end" and that there is no other route left except for a plebiscitary vote. He warned that the TC cannot "override or erase" the vote of 2.3 million people on 9-N.

Mas began his appearance at the Gothic gallery of the Government Palace by doing a review of the steps that were taken up to the judgment of the Constitutional court on Thursday. "This 9-N can neither be erased nor annulled. It is, exists and appears in capital letters, we could say with golden letters, in the democratic history of Catalonia", he assured, recalling that it attracted 2.3 million voters in the participatory process. 

According to Mas, the TC's judgment asks the question and then concludes that the Government cannot question the political future of Catalonia and that citizens are not able to raise these types of questions, either. "If we can't even ask, will it be that we have a low-intensity democracy? I am not saying that there is no democracy, but the conclusion would be that it is low-intensity", he added. The President concluded that the Constitution, drafted 37 years ago, was once a "wide track" but has become a "dead end" for the aspirations of a large part of the Catalan citizenry.

In the face of the ruling, Mas argued that the only way left for secessionists is to call elections that have been "clearly reinforced" in their plebiscitary character. In this context, he called on the parties in favour of the right to self-determination to reinforce the plebiscitary character of the 27-S, taking into account that the Constitutional Court's decision has highlighted that "there is no other way".

The President also addressed the "contrarians" of the process and the "sceptics or doubters", who claim to have "profound convictions and democratic roots". He told them the only other option is "to do nothing", and warned them that this would "leave to rot" a situation that a great deal of Catalans are pushing for. 

The President refused to comment on the electoral list he is preparing to face the 27-S and would only say that he will mention it in "the upcoming days or weeks" and affirmed that he "has no plans" to make changes to the Government, citing the proximity of the elections.