Spanish Prime Minister takes Catalonia's reform to courtJuly 28, 2017 - 18:46 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - At the last press conference before the Spanish government heads off on vacation, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced on Friday, July 28 that his government would lodge legal action with the Spanish Constitutional Court against Catalonia's latest bid to lay out a path to independence from the rest of Spain, Deutsche Welle reports. Rajoy's announcement addressed a procedural reform that lawmakers in Catalonia had approved on Wednesday that would allow the region's government to fast-track its approval of laws of secession without debate and within a single day. The head of government and his advisers believe that Spain's top court will find the proposed reform unconstitutional for violating the right to political participation. The proposed reform lacks "the most elemental democratic guarantees," Rajoy said, making it a clear violation of both the Spanish Constitution and the region's Statute of Autonomy, which outlines the areas of self-governance that are independent from Madrid. The autonomous institutions of Catalonia and the bureaucrats who serve them "cannot be used to deliver an action that blatantly contradicts law," Rajoy added. The prime minister from the conservative People's Party and his government adamantly oppose the Catalan secessionist movement, which wants the semi-autonomous region in Spain's northeast to split off from the rest of Spain and become its own sovereign state. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Ucom Celebrates Telecommunication Day May 17 commemorates the founding of the International Telecommunication Union on May 17, 1865. Armenian, Azerbaijani heads of parliament meet in Switzerland President of the Armenian parliament Alen Simonyan met with the Speaker of the Azerbaijani Milli Majlis Sahiba Gafarova. Border residents overnight on highway to protest Armenia’s Residents of Kirants continue to express outrage over the government’s decision to cede land to Azerbaijan. Get Started: An educational platform for young startuppers The Get Started program which operates in two phases is an important platform for young startuppers. |