Spanish media: Court suspends Catalan vote
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Spanish media are reporting that the country's top court has preventively suspended the call for a referendum on Catalonia's independence after accepting an appeal by central authorities in Madrid.
The move was widely expected after Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy announced the government was challenging both a controversial bill meant to legitimize the independence vote and a decree by the regional Catalan government summoning voters for the Oct. 1 ballot.
According to court regulations, the suspension lasts for 5 months while judges come up with a ruling.
The pro-independence coalition ruling in Catalonia, a prosperous region in northeastern Spain, claims that the universal right to self-determination overrules Spain's laws.
