Spain steadfast in not allowing referendum

The Spanish government has insisted there will be no independence referendum. As the first official public meeting between the Catalan  president Quim Torra and his Spanish counterpart, Socialist Pedro Sánchez, draws near, its outcome on this topic already seems certain.

Torra is determined to ask for an agreed vote on independence –as his predecessors Artur Mas and Carles Puigdemont did earlier this decade. Madrid, however, already has its answer prepared.

“The right to self-determination doesn't exist, it is not in our Magna Carta. But not only it is not in our magna carta, but it is not in any constitution of any democratic State,” said Spanish government spokeswoman Isabel Celaá.

The Socialists leader in Catalonia, Miquel Iceta, also suggested that if Torra only focused on having a referendum, there will be no agreement. The Socialists would rather speak about infrastructures, financing and sectoral issues.

Today as well, the Socialist executive challenged a pro-independence parliamentary initiative at Spain's Constitutional Court for the first time since reaching power. The Catalan Parliament passed a motion yesterday committing towards independence, similar to one passed in 2015. The government deemed this as "not good news." The motion had the votes of pro-independence forces Esquerra Republicana, Junts per Catalunya, and the CUP. 

Today, Torra's cabinet warned that Spain's appeal is bad news ahead of the meeting, but it also asked for a follow-up session in September. 

“We believe that it would be good that the meetings were not always in the Moncloa, they could also be in the Palau de la Generalitat, we don't understand why there would be a problem in this regard,” said Elsa Artadi, government spokeswoman. Artadi also accused Sánchez's government of following in the same path of his predecessors Mariano Rajoy's People's Party. She also called the decision "extremely imprudent."

Spain's executive responded that before speaking about September, both teams have to focus on next Monday.  Meanwhile, pro-independence forces in the Parliament also remain steadfast in their stance, of working towards an independent Catalan republic.