Catalan president to hold pro-independence referendum despite Spanish court

The president of the prosperous northeastern region of Catalonia announced Thursday that he still planned to hold an independence referendum despite a ruling by Spain's highest court that it would be illegal.


Carles Puigdemont said the court's decision was not a surprise but only served to show that constitutional populism in Spain merely took away Catalan people's right to meet and debate independence initiatives in their regional Parliaments.

"There can be no democratic system that stops this," said Puigdemont.

Spain's Constitutional Court _ tasked with determining the constitutionality of acts and statutes _ ruled Wednesday that the independence referendum resolution passed by Catalonia's parliament was unconstitutional.

Puigdemont confirmed he would continue the secessionist process and still hold an independence summit on Dec. 23 because this is what the Catalan people wanted from their institutions.
 EFE
15/12/16
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