CATALONIA -- Artur Mas: 'They cannot stop us voting' - VilaWeb
Artur Mas: 'They cannot stop us voting'
Catalan president is interviewed by the Spanish La Sexta state television channel
'The ballot boxes will be out on the 9-N', Artur Mas, the president
of the government of Catalonia said in the interview of the Spanish La
Sexta state television channel. He also took the chance to address the
Spanish citizens and called upon Spanish public opinion to encourage the
state institutions to act in the same way as the United Kingdom over
Scotland.' 'We have built the whole of the legal architecture so voting
can take place on the 9-N and they will not prevent us from voting; in
Catalonia we are at the height of the circumstances', he added. The
president insisted that when the Constitutional Court suspends the
consultation he will work to convince it that it is legal and to agree
to lift the suspension before 9 November.
And what if this were
not the case? Well, he made it clear that he would take the decision in
accordance with all of the parties in favour of the consultation. One
option would be civil disobedience, which is something both the ERC and
CUP political parties have suggested. Mas talked about this. 'Civil
disobedience is a term which may be logical at some times, but not
others. This is not a process of civil disobedience, but rather a
democratic, peaceful, legal and majority process. This is not civil
disobedience.'
Concerning the suspension of the call once it is admitted to
proceedings by the Constitutional Court, Mas said, 'Suspension means
that they have to address us and we have to give our opinion. We will
tell the Constitutional Court how we have made the decree and I hope we
will convince them. We can make allegations. They will have to listen to
our position if they are impartial arbiters.' He added, 'The
Constitutional Court cannot be used to solve political problems. We have
a political problem, so let’s solve it from politics.'
'The concept of Spanish unity is not sacred’
He also said that he did not discard 'any possible option for making
the consultation'. However, at the present time he does not foresee
early elections. 'I am not thinking of elections. I will do whatever I
can to have the voting on 9-N. It would seem that the world is going to
end on 9-N, that Spain will disintegrate, but all that will happen is
that we will know people’s opinion.' And he said, 'The concept of
Spanish unity in neither sacred nor biblical.'
Mas went further, 'I am democratically shocked that before approving
the consultation law and before the decree was made they were already
saying it was illegal. How can this happen in a democracy? This is
manipulation of a legal framework, not the work of jurists but rather of
politicians.'
Gerard Piqué, proud of Mas
One of the most striking reactions to Artur Mas’s interview on la
Sexta was that of the FC Barcelona footballer Gerard Piqué, who placed a
message on Twitter saying 'It is great to have President Mas
representing Catalonia' and thanking la Sexta TV for broadcasting the
interview for Spain.
Piqué already showed his support for the consultation on 9 November
some days ago. In a press conference he explained that he had taken part
in the ‘V’ formation in Barcelona on 11 September. 'I was in the crowds
on National Day because I am Catalan and it was the Catalan holiday. I
went there with my family, I enjoyed the day and I had a good time. The
day was remarkable for the number of people who were there and for the
festive atmosphere.' And he added, 'I am in favour of the consultation; I
think it is the most democratic of events, something that has to
happen, because in the end the people must have the right to vote.'
He received an array of criticisms and insults on the social networks
for having made a couple of tweets showing him with his son in the ‘V’
on the Catalan National Day.
