Rajoy on Catalan independence roadmap: “It goes against history”

Barcelona (ACN).- The Spanish President, Mariano Rajoy, has said on Tuesday that the agreement between the two main pro-independence parties and civil society to declare independence following a referendum on a new Catalan constitution is “bad” and “goes against history”. In comments made during a meeting with the European Council President Donald Tusk, Rajoy stated that “no Spanish government will ever authorise the break-up of the national sovereignty”. The Catalan Government spokesman, Francesc Homs, regretted the fact that Rajoy “has never said that he will respect the result of the vote” of the 27-S election, “whatever it is”.

Catalan President Artur Mas of the CDC party, which is the Liberal and largest force within the two-party centre-right pro-Catalan State coalition CiU, and left-wing Catalan independence party ERC, led by Oriol Junqueras, have signed an agreement, together with the Association of pro-Independence Municipalities (AMI), the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) and Òmnium Cultural that describes the process leading to the creation of an independent Catalonia. The text states that it will last a maximum of 18 months, the period between the elections on the 27th of September, considered by ‘Yes’ parties as plebiscite-style elections, and a “binding referendum” on a new Catalan constitution that would be drafted following a pro-independence victory in September.

“This is bad for Catalans and for the rest of Spain, said Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish President. “It is bad because it goes against the destiny of history and because it breaks the current law in Spain, the Constitution”, he added in comments from Madrid. “In Spain, law is above everything else, and law affects everyone”, he warned.

The Spanish President made fun of the new roadmap agreed by the Catalan leaders, saying “it’s the newest one, following the ones that they had before”. Rajoy denied that the Catalan parliamentary election on the 27th of September could be described as a plebiscite. “If they are held, they are going to be elections to elect a new Parliament and a new government”, he stated. Rajoy reiterated that he will never authorise independence for Catalonia and argued that he will “keep working for integration and to defend a common project that has been good for Spaniards and Catalans”. Rajoy said that the roadmap agreed on Monday is bad because it puts in danger “more than 500 years of joint life” and “forces many Catalans to stop being Spanish and European”.

According to Catalan Government spokesman, Francesc Homs, Rajoy’s comments are actually “clearly helping those elections to be plebiscitary”. “What makes this election a plebiscite is the debate, and Rajoy is contributing to this defending a big ‘No’”, he said during the weekly press conference of the Catalan Government.

Homs regretted the fact that Rajoy is being “not very democratic” when he avoids saying that he will respect the result at the ballot “whatever it is”. Homs said that in September, Catalan citizens will express “their opinion”. “This is a very vivid debate that cannot be ignored or marginalised”, he added. Homs said that the agreement for the roadmap should have support from “as many people as possible” as “the more political parties that are included, the better”.