Catalan officials defy Madrid on independence vote
MADRID — Regional leaders in Catalonia moved Friday to defy the central government in Madrid and go ahead with a vote on independence even though Spain’s constitutional court has ordered the vote suspended.
While the pro-independence Catalan government tried to flex its muscles, most of the opposition to the vote — both regional and national — rallied around conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and his efforts to crush the planned Oct. 1 ballot.
On Friday, the state prosecutor targeted members of the Catalan parliament and the Barcelona-based regional government in separate lawsuits. The prosecutor’s document asked judges to look into possible disobedience, abuse of power and embezzlement charges against the officials.
But despite the court’s suspension of the vote and the legal threats, regional President Carles Puigdemont has pushed ahead with preparations for the ballot.