Spanish Government is preparing appeal against not-yet-approved Catalan law on consultation votes

Barcelona (ACN).- With the aim to stop Catalonia's self-determination vote, the People's Party (PP) has confirmed to the CNA that the Spanish Government is already preparing two appeals for the Constitutional Court against two things that have not yet been approved. The Government chaired by Mariano Rajoy is preparing a first appeal against the Catalan Law on Consultation Votes, which is expected to be approved in mid-September. This law will be the legal base to organise the self-determination vote, scheduled for the 9^th of November. Rajoy's second appeal is against the Catalan President's decree calling for the independence consultation vote on the foreseen day; a call that would be issued a few days – or even a few hours – after the approval of the Consultation Vote Law. With these two appeals against two legal means that still do not exist, and therefore whose exact wording is still unknown, the Spanish Government is looking for the Constitutional Court to temporarily cancel the law and the call and therefore stop November's vote from happening. At the same time, the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) considers it "logical" that the Spanish Government will file appeals against the Consultation Vote Law and the Decree calling the self-determination vote, because the PSOE considers that these legal steps "are not the tools for organising the consultation vote they [those supporting Novembers' vote] have in mind". However, the PSOE did not comment on the fact that appeals are being prepared in advance, without the definitive measures having been approved.

The Spokesperson for the People's Party in the Spanish Parliament's Economy and Competitiveness Committee, the MP Vicente Martínez Pujalte, stressed on Thursday that "the call for rebellion made by certain parties, which luckily are not a majority, cannot be understood", referring to those who have defended holding the self-determination vote, even if the Constitutional Court bans it. He said that that the Spanish Government is aiming "to make the legal framework respected" within Spain. However, at the same time, the PP confirmed that the Spanish Executive is working on two appeals to be filed at the Constitutional Court against a law and a decree that have not yet been approved and therefore do not exist, legally-speaking. The Madrid-based newspaper El Mundo announced on Thursday that the news of these two appeals is already being prepared.

At the same time, also on Thursday, the PSOE MP Joan Rangel stated that the Spanish Government "is doing the right thing" by filing appeals to the Constitutional Court to stop the self-determination vote. According to him, the Law on Consultation Votes which is being drafted by the Catalan Parliament "is not the right tool to carry out the foreseen consultation vote with the two-part question", referring to the question wording agreed among a majority of Catalan parties in December.

Back then, two thirds of the Catalan Parliament agreed on organising a self-determination vote on the 9^th of November 2014, with the question "Do you want Catalonia to become a State? If yes, do you want this State to be independent?" Citizens will have to issue a two part vote. Those answering "yes" to the first part will be those supporting either independence but also those who want Catalonia to stay within Spain but with greater self-government and within a federal model. Those supporting this last case should vote "no" in the second part of the question, since voting "yes" means supporting independence.