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Barcelona, Catalonia’s regional government said Tuesday it was suspending its promotion of an independence referendum, a day after a decision by Spain’s Constitutional Court barring the region from going ahead with the nonbinding vote.
The Catalonia government will appeal the decision, said spokesman Francesc Homs, but meanwhile is suspending the campaign for the Nov. 9 referendum to avoid subjecting public servants to possible legal liability for defying the court.
As a precautionary matter, we can’t put public servants and individuals against the ropes,” Mr. Homs said. He described the suspension as “temporary and precautionary,” adding that private citizens were free to promote the referendum if they so choose.
Catalonia’s government kicked off a campaign to promote the referendum shortly after its president, Artur Mas, signed a decree on Saturday setting the date. Catalan authorities outlined plans to ready 10,000 ballot boxes for the region’s 5.4 million voters and publicize the referendum with an online video. The government unveiled an informational web video with a slogan: “Remember you have an appointment on Nov. 9. You decide.”
Mr. Homs said Tuesday that the suspension doesn’t mean Mr. Mas is giving up his hope to hold the referendum. “Yesterday, nothing ended and the determination of the government is to move forward,” he said.
