MADRID (Sputnik) — The referendum on the independence of Catalonia is impossible and the government of the autonomous region should give up this hopeless dream, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said.
"Elections are held in democratic countries only to make decisions in which everyone participates, the whole society is listened to… They [the Catalan government] know that this referendum cannot be held. It has never been legitimate. Let them return within the framework of law and democracy," Rajoy said in a televised address.
The prime minister urged the supporters of the referendum to take into account the opinion of the majority of the region's residents and referred to the vote as a "pipe dream."
Spain's Constitutional Court has suspended the law on the organization of the referendum approved by the Catalan parliament, which rendered all further preparations illegal.
Earlier, the EU Commission Vice-President also urged calls on all parties to the political process in Catalonia to "respect the constitutional order of the member state they are part of".
