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'Pipe Dream': Mariano Rajoy Rules Out Catalonia Independence Referendum

© AFP 2023 / GERARD JULIENSpain's interim Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy gives a press conference at the Spanish parliament in Madrid
Spain's interim Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy gives a press conference at the Spanish parliament in Madrid - Sputnik International
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Spanish Prime Minister said that the referendum on the independence of Catalonia cannot be held, adding that the government of the autonomous region should give up this dream.

MADRID (Sputnik) — The referendum on the independence of Catalonia is impossible and the government of the autonomous region should give up this hopeless dream, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said.

"Elections are held in democratic countries only to make decisions in which everyone participates, the whole society is listened to… They [the Catalan government] know that this referendum cannot be held. It has never been legitimate. Let them return within the framework of law and democracy," Rajoy said in a televised address.

The prime minister urged the supporters of the referendum to take into account the opinion of the majority of the region's residents and referred to the vote as a "pipe dream."

President of the Catalan regional Government Carles Puigdemont leaves after a debate on the government's question of confidence at the Parliament of Catalonia in Barcelona on September 29, 2016 - Sputnik International
Catalan President Accuses Spain of Suspending Region's Self-Governance
According to media reports, thousands have taken to the streets in Barcelona, Catalonia's largest city, earlier in the day amid the federal government's attempts to halt the preparations for the vote, slated for October 1.

Spain's Constitutional Court has suspended the law on the organization of the referendum approved by the Catalan parliament, which rendered all further preparations illegal.

Earlier, the EU Commission Vice-President also urged calls on all parties to the political process in Catalonia to "respect the constitutional order of the member state they are part of".

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