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Catalan pro-sovereignty parties, groups ask citizens to demonstrate against suspension of independence vote

Spain's Constitutional Court halts 9-N vote · Citizens called to gather in front of town halls on the evening · Catalan government to appeal the suspension · A Catalan advisory body 2013 report said snap, "plebiscite election" best alternative if vote cannot be held

Catalan pro-sovereignty and pro-independence parties and civil society groups called citizens to demonstrate today on the evening in order to show support to a non-binding referendum on Catalonia's independence from Spain. The referendum, which had been scheduled for November 9th, was yesterday suspended by Spain's Constitutional Court after the Spanish government had challenged both a Catalan presidential decree calling the vote and a Parliament of Catalonia law on non-binding referendums.

Pro-independence associations Catalan National Assembly (ANC) and Òmnium Cultural want citizens to gather in front of Catalonia's town halls at 19.00 h to demand to demand the holding of the 9-N vote (in the picture, a poster calling to demonstrate). The call has been joined by all pro-independence and pro-sovereignty parties in the Parliament of Catalonia: CDC, UDC, ERC, ICV, EUiA, and CUP.

Both the ANC and Òmnium plus CDC, ERC and CUP have also announced the launch of a "yes" campaign, no matter the Constitutional Court has suspended the vote.

Alternative ways: what does Catalan advisory body say?

The government of Catalonia insists the 9-N vote should be held. Catalan President Artur Mas recalled that yesterday's suspension does not imply that the non-binding referendum is illegal. The Catalan goverment will appeal the suspension and says it hopes the Constitutional Court will accept its arguments. The vote could still be held under Spain's legal framework if the Court lifts the suspension before November 9th.

But it could also be the case that the Constitutional Court delayed its answer or rather that it did no accept Catalan government's arguments. In a July 2013 report, the Advisory Council for the National Transition (CATN, Catalan acronym) argued that there could exist "four alternative channels" for the Catalan government were the 9-N vote definitively halted. Those four channels are holding the non-binding vote via "alternative channels," "plebiscite elections," a unilateral declaration of independence (UDI) and "international or EU mediation."

According to the report, the best alternative option would be a "plebiscite election", that is, a snap election in which political parties contested the seats "with the fundamental political goal of obtaining a clear statement from the electorate on Catalan independence." This scenario could lead to a negotiation with the Spanish government over the implementation of independence. If that was not possible, the report goes, then the Catalan Parliament could consider unilaterally declaring independence as the "culmination of the alternative channel opened up by a plebiscit election."

UDC, ICV and EUiA have expressed concerns over the UDI scenario. It is also true however that all the pro-sovereignty parties rejected a June proposal by Spanish nationalist Citizens party (C's) that would have led the Catalan Parliament to commit not to pass a UDI at any time.