Spanish government seeks to block ballot over Catalonia independence

The Spanish government will seek to block in the Spanish Constitutional Court a watered-down version of the non-binding referendum over Catalonia’s “independence” to be held Nov 9 in this northeastern region of Spain, media reports said Saturday. The announcement was made Friday at the press conference following the cabinet meeting, Xinhua reported. Spain’s Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria emphasised that one of the main reasons to block the ballot was to protect Catalan civil servants so they are not forced to break the law, as according to the Spanish government, the ballot is against Spain’s constitution.