Spanish court suspends Catalan parliament from declaring independence

ERBIL, Kurdistan Region (Kurdistan 24) – The Spanish government on Thursday announced it had suspended a Catalan parliamentary session planned for Monday where a declaration of independence from Spain was expected to be made.

According to Spain’s constitutional court, a declaration of independence by Catalonia would be “a breach of the constitution.”

Following the referendum on Sunday, Catalan President Carles Puigdemont said his government would declare independence “in a matter of days.”

“Peace and accord is part of who we are,” Puigdemont said in a televised address on Wednesday.

“We have to apply the results of the referendum,” he added. “We have to present the results of the referendum to parliament.”

However, the opposition socialist party in the regional parliament, which opposes secession, called for Monday’s session to be blocked.

The court upheld the challenge and warned any session would be “null,” adding the Catalan parliament’s leaders could face criminal action if they did not obey the order.

The president of the Catalan parliament, Carme Forcadell, criticized the court’s decision to suspend the session.

“[The court order] harms freedom of expression and the right of initiative of members of this parliament and shows once more how the courts are being used to solve political problems,” he said.

The referendum was marred with violent clashes between voters and Spanish police where authorities removed ballot boxes from polling stations to prevent people from casting their votes.

The plebiscite recorded a turnout of 2.2 million people (42 percent of the electorate), according to official statistics from Catalonia.

Following the chaotic events, organizers said 90 percent voted for independence from Spain.

Editing by Ava Homa