[JURIST] Over one million Catalans on Sunday participated in a non-binding vote on whether Catalonia [BBC backgrounder] should secede from Spain. The wealthy region’s government decided to move ahead with the vote despite the Spanish Constitutional Court [official website, in Spanish] suspending the vote [JURIST report] on Tuesday to hear arguments claiming that the vote is unconstitutional. The decision was based on Article 161.2 of the Spanish Constitution [text], which states that the government can appeal resolutions and provisions adopted by the “autonomous communities” of Spain. The Catalan government stated that approximately 1.1 million of the 5.4 million eligible Catalan voters appeared at polls run by over 40,000 volunteers, and results are expected on Monday. “Despite the enormous impediments, we have been able to get out the ballot boxes and vote,” stated [AP report] Catalan president Artur Mas [BBC profile].

Catalonia independence [JURIST archive] has been a contentious topic in recent years concerning issues of economic, political and cultural differences between Catalonia and the Spanish government. The initial November referendum planned to ask voters if they want Catalonia to become a state, and, in the case of an affirmative response, if they want this state to be independent. In September Artur Mas signed a decree [JURIST report] calling for a referendum on secession and independence from Spain, inciting confrontation from Spain’s central government. In February Spain’s parliament rejected [JURIST report] Catalonia’s proposed November referendum.