The government of Spain under Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy is battling Catalonia's latest attempt at secession in the country's Constitutional Court, according to UPI. Parliament members in Catalonia on Monday voted 72- 63 in favor of a resolution that could see the region secede from Spain within 18 months. After an emergency Cabinet meeting, Rajoy said on Wednesday he asked the Constitutional Court to "immediately suspend this resolution and all its effects" while it is being reviewed. The court is expected to rule against Catalonia's motion that calls for "the beginning of the creation of independent Catalan state in the form of a republic." Rajoy called the resolution a "blatant disregard for the state's institution... they are trying to do away with democracy." "We're talking about the defense of an entire country," Rajoy added. "They are trying to liquidate the unity of a nation with more than five centuries of history." About 7.5 million people live in the Catalonia region, which has its own language and makes up a fifth of Spain's economic output. The calls for autonomy and independence have intensified amid Spain's financial crisis. Catalan President Artur Mas and his Together for Yes coalition party supports the independence resolution. The small, far-left separatist CUP party also backs secession. Rajoy and his Popular Party, which is strongly anti-independence, have the support of the Socialists opposition party and the new, popular center-right Ciudadanos group. Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera recently said secession was not the answer. "To those Catalans who want independence: the solution is not to break up the country, it is to reform it," Rivera said. Catalonia held an unofficial referendum last year on whether the region should become independent from Spain. Turnout for the vote was 37 percent and more than 80 percent voted in favor of secession.
