ANKARA
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said on Wednesday that Catalonia's Nov. 9 independence vote was a "complete failure."
“Spain will not change its position nor will we offer any special plan for Catalonia’s independence,” Rajoy said, speaking at a press conference.
Sunday's symbolic consultation was a failure, Rajoy said, since two-thirds of Catalans, in Spain and abroad, did not vote. "It was not a democratic vote, it was an act of political propaganda,” Rajoy said.
"There was no consultation, and two-thirds did not vote. The independence movement has shown its weakness."
Rajoy's remarks came one day after the President of the Catalan Government, Artur Mas, urged the Prime Minister to undertake the necessary steps to allow Catalans hold a legal independence referendum.
Rajoy denied any possibility of a referendum for independence. "The parliament of Catalonia is empowered to initiate a process of constitutional reform. It is the only legal way to approach this process, and Mas knows this," he said.
Rajoy said Mas must respect the decisions of the constitutional court of Spain which prohibited Catalonia's consultation. “What was illegal one year ago remains illegal today," Rajoy said.
On November 9 about 1.6 million Catalans who took part in the symbolic vote chose secession from Spain.
The majority of Catalonia's 7.5 million inhabitants, however, support an official vote on independence.
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