"When one dispenses with the law, democracy is abandoned", says Mariano Rajoy

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

The President of the Government explained that the Council of Ministers agreed on Wednesday to lodge this appeal with the Constitutional Court after having asked for the mandatory report from the Council of State, the highest advisory body to the Government of Spain. According to this report, the resolution that the Regional Parliament of Catalonia approved on Monday "to create an independent Republic of Catalonia" implies "a clear violation of the core principles of the Spanish Constitution" and represents "a declaration of rebellion against the State institutions", as well as a "rejection of the current constitutional order as a whole".

Mariano Rajoy explained that the Council of State also stated that the resolution of the Regional Parliament of Catalonia "intends to ignore the principle that all decisions reached by those in power, without exception, are subject to our fundamental rules; without the existence or possible existence for the public authorities of spaces that are free of or areas that are immune to those rules".

Mariano Rajoy said that, although certain individuals intend to jeopardise "the essence of our democracy, respect for popular sovereignty and unity of the nation", the Government of Spain will "resolutely" defend it because that is "the greatest achievement made by the people of Spain" and that which "embodies the sovereignty of the entire Spanish people and the unity of the Spanish nation".

National sovereignty cannot be fractured

Furthermore, President of the Government Rajoy stressed that those who claim for themselves "a constituent power that does not correspond to them" also intend to attribute themselves with national sovereignty that solely belongs to the people of Spain and that "cannot be divided or fractured" and which is the "expression of the very unity of Spain".

Pool Moncloa/Diego CrespoIn this regard, the President of the Government stressed that, although the rule of law "protects and binds all citizens", it "especially" concerns the public authorities and governments because, on the one hand, they are guarantors but, on the other, they are "subject to the law".

Mariano Rajoy said that the resolution of the Regional Parliament of Catalonia not only ignores the principles of the rule of law but also "intents to return us to a place where power was arbitrary and turn back the pages to a time that constitutional Spain has left behind for good". In this regard, he added that any government can lose its legitimacy when it fails to respect the law. They should not forget that when one dispenses with the law, democracy is abandoned", he said.

A test for a State that defends its laws

The President of the Government believes that those who support the resolution from the Regional Parliament of Catalonia merely offer an end to democracy and the rule of law, to yield the freedoms and rights of all citizens, to fracture the unity of the Spanish nation and to destroy the coexistence that "has united us for centuries". Nonetheless, he added, the Government of Spain will not let that happen. He also has "the backing of the vast majority of Spaniards, their main political representatives and economic and social stakeholders. And all of them have my commitment and determination".

The President of the Government explained that the government has also asked for the decision from the Constitutional Court to be communicated "personally to those with the responsibility" to apply it. "To the Speaker of the Regional Parliament of Catalonia, to the members of the parliamentary governing body and the secretary general of that institution, to the acting President of the Regional Government of Catalonia and to all regional councillors of her government. All of them must accept their responsibility. It goes without saying that my government is accepting its responsibility", he said.

Mariano Rajoy concluded his speech by saying that the appeal is the "greatest test for a State that believes in its laws and that defends them so the people of Spain can continue to trust in their institutions". He added that "we are defending the rights of all citizens, not only those of Catalan citizens but especially the rights of Catalan citizens". "It is about defending an entire country", he said.

Answers to questions from the media

Pool Moncloa/Diego CrespoThe President of the Government told the journalists interested in knowing what the next step will be from the Government of Spain that he would like the step taken today to be the last because that would mean there was a rectification from those who have created the problem that exists in Catalonia. A problem that, he stressed, "does not stem from the Spaniards who live outside of Catalonia but rather from a number of political leaders inside Catalonia".

In this regard, he said he does not want to be forced into considering any more appeals or taking any more decisions on this matter. However, he clarified that if the law and the Spanish Constitution continue to be flaunted, the Government of Spain "will take action and will do so resolutely and proportionally".

The President of the Government believes that the situation created in Catalonia constitutes "a clear challenge for the law, the rule of law, democracy and people's fundamental rights. For that reason, it is easy to understand the indignation, weariness and tiredness of so many millions and millions of Spaniards who are being spoken to about feelings but whose own feelings are being brought into play and attacked.