Spanish lawmakers are set to vote Tuesday to shoot down Catalonia's quest for an independence referendum, setting the stage for a bitter sovereignty struggle.
The assembly debated a motion from the regional government of Catalonia, which has its own language and a long history of fighting for greater autonomy from Spain, asking for permission to hold the referendum on November 9, with a vote followed in the evening.
But the ruling conservative Popular Party along with the main opposition Socialists and the centrist Union for Progress and Democracy (UPyD), who together have 300 of the 350 seats in parliament, have already said they will vote against the petition.
"I defend that Catalonia should remain in Spain because I can't conceive of Spain without Catalonia nor of Catalonia outside of Spain and Europe," Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy told the assembly.
Rajoy repeated his argument that the vote would be illegal, since under Spain's constitution referendums on sovereignty must be held nationally and not regionally.
He has also warned that independence would be an economic disaster for both Spain and the northeastern region of Catalonia, one of the country's most productive but also most indebted regions.
"Together we all win and separate we all lose," the prime minister said.
Spain's Constitutional Court ruled last month that a region like Catalonia could not "unilaterally" call a referendum on its sovereignty.
But the Catalan government argues that a 2006 Catalan autonomy statute which was passed by Spain's parliament granted the region the power to hold referendums.
"There is a clear legal basis" for the plebiscite, said Catalan government spokesman Francesc Homs before the start of the debate in parliament.
It is unclear what Catalonia's next move could be if the referendum is refused.
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