Catalonia fails to win allies in their referendum battle

MADRID—Catalonia’s attempt to hold an independence referendum was set back as authorities refused to let its voting centers be used for the ballot opposed by the national government.

Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau told Catalan regional President Carles Puigdemont in a letter Friday that she couldn’t allow use of the centers until he could outline plans for protecting public employees from the consequences of working on the referendum to the newspaper El Pais. Spain’s constitutional court Thursday said it would ask 947 Catalan mayors not to participate in the referendum.

The refusal by Catalonia’s biggest city for now to aid the referendum is a blow to Puigdemont as court rulings sought by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy add legal pressure on public officials seen to be facilitating the vote. Catalan secessionists have a chance to show their support Monday with mass demonstrations to mark the region’s national day, or Diada.

Puigdemont’s coalition in the Catalan parliament passed a bill Wednesday to call the independence referendum for Oct. 1. To the fury of Rajoy’s government, the assembly has also passed a bill laying out how Catalonia would be run under a transition to become a republic.

Puigdemont’s problems go beyond Barcelona. Six other population centers with more than 100,000 people, including L’Hospitalet de Llobregat and Tarragona, have blocked access to their voting centers, El Pais reported. Toni Castejon, general secretary of the union of the Catalan regional police force, told Cadena Ser radio on Wednesday that his members had no option but to obey the law because they all know the consequences of not doing so.

On the other hand, 674 towns in the region have said they’ll support the referendum, according to the Association of Municipalities for Independence.