Spain appeals against creation of Catalan election board

Spanish Vice President Soraya Saenz de Santamaria has announced that Madrid would appeal against the creation of an electoral board by the Catalan regional government.

Saenz de Santamaria made the statement at the weekly Spanish cabinet meeting Friday, which saw rising tensions over the Catalan independence referendum, Xinhua reported.

The cabinet meeting came a day after the president of the Catalan regional parliament, Artur Mas, signed a decree to appoint an electoral board for the Catalan referendum scheduled for Nov 9.

Mas' move comes despite the Spanish constitutional court suspending the referendum Monday following a legal appeal by Madrid.

"Nobody can decide when they will fulfill or not fulfill the resolutions of the court," Santamaria stated.

Mas Friday met with members of Catalan parties in favour of the referendum in Barcelona.

It ended with the spokesperson for the Catalan parliament, Frances Homs, saying that the Catalans were going to continue with their plans for the referendum.

He asked the constitutional court to lift the suspension of the vote and carry out an exhaustive analysis, in order to provide the best possible conditions for the vote to be held.