A fresh legal ruling in Madrid has complicated the region's breakaway efforts
ADVERTISEMENTCatalan authorities are considering their next move amid a fresh challenge to their breakaway plans from Spain.
The Spanish Constitutional Court has suspended a planned session of the Catalan parliament in which the wealthy region was expected to make a unilateral declaration of independence.
Catalan authorities have already held a banned independence referendum and could, once more, defy Madrid by going ahead with the parliamentary sitting.
Catalan Parliamentary Speaker Carme Forcadell denounced the ruling.
“It puts freedom of expression and the right of initiative of members of parliament at risk,” she said.
“And it demonstrates, once again, that the courts are being used to resolve political problems.”
That is not how the ruling Popular Party sees things.
Its leader in Catalonia, Xavier García Albiol, said that regional separatist leader Carles Puigdemont should use the ruling as an opportunity to back track on his ‘crazy adventure’ to declare independence.
As Catalonia threatens to declare independence, Spain plunges into its biggest constitutional crisis in decades https://t.co/LrdXSj0H31pic.twitter.com/lccacHy1DF
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On the street, passions are raging. Outside barracks near Barcelona on Thusday, people in favour of Spanish unity gathered to show support for national security forces sent to Catalonia.
Those seeking independence, however, called on the reinforcements to leave.
with Reuters