The Spanish Constitutional Court has unanimously annulled the Catalan Referendum Law, approved by the region’s government ahead of the recent independence vote, according to a court spokesman.
The Catalan government responded immediately, with spokesman Jordi Turull criticizing the court's mandate to annul the law, stating that "We are facing an executive power in the state that uses the judiciary branch to block the legislative."
The court ruled that “the law encroached state powers regarding popular consultations,” and that it “violated, among other constitutional principles, the supremacy of the Constitution, national sovereignty and the indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation,” El Pais quoted the decision as saying.
In September, the court suspended the legislation while studying its legality. On Monday, two leaders of pro-independence groups were arrested and detained in prison without bail as part of an investigation into alleged sedition by independence supporters before the referendum vote.