© 2025 Connecticut Public

FCC Public Inspection Files:
WEDH · WEDN · WEDW · WEDY
WEDW-FM · WNPR · WPKT · WRLI-FM
Public Files Contact · ATSC 3.0 FAQ
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Spanish Court Strikes Down Catalonia's Push For Independence

Demonstrators show support for Catalan independence during a protest last week in Barcelona. Spain's Constitutional Court has now ruled that a Nov. 9 declaration of independence by Catalan's regional parliament is unconstitutional.
Emilio Morenatti
/
AP
Demonstrators show support for Catalan independence during a protest last week in Barcelona. Spain's Constitutional Court has now ruled that a Nov. 9 declaration of independence by Catalan's regional parliament is unconstitutional.

Spain's highest court has halted a push for independence by the northeastern region of Catalonia, ruling Wednesday that secession would be unconstitutional.

From Madrid, Lauren Frayer told NPR's Newscast unit that the decision, which was widely expected, came unusually quickly:

"In its ruling, Spain's Constitutional Court affirmed the country's unity — and said, therefore, Catalonia can't declare independence, secede, and divide the country."

On Nov. 9, as we reported, the Catalan regional parliament approved a plan to split from Spain within 18 months, and declared that decisions taken by Spain's government, including rulings by the courts, are no longer valid.

"Catalans are split about 50-50 over whether to break away from Spain," Lauren says. "But their regional parliament is dominated by separatists."

The secession vote was quickly challenged by Spain's center-right government, and government officials Wednesday praised the Constitutional Court's ruling.

In Spain as a whole, secession remains unpopular, and the controversy has become a factor in the upcoming national elections, The Financial Times reported recently. It adds:

"The latest escalation comes less than a month before Spain's general election, which has added to the already febrile atmosphere among political leaders in Madrid and Barcelona.

"Mariano Rajoy, Spain's conservative prime minister, is hoping to sway undecided voters by presenting himself as a committed defender of Spanish unity — and by tapping into the rising anti-Catalan sentiment in the rest of the country."

Rajoy welcomed the Constitutional Court's ruling.

"The immense majority of Spaniards who believe in Spain, national sovereignty and the equality of Spaniards will be very pleased," he said in a speech.

A spokesman for the Catalan government, Francesc Homs, dismissed the ruling as biased, and said it was a big error to attempt to resolve the conflict through the courts.

Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Jim Zarroli is an NPR correspondent based in New York. He covers economics and business news.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.

Related Content