"Court’s decision is an attack on Basque self-government"

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Basque premier Juan Jose Ibarretxe. Photo: EFE

The Basque premier Juan Jose Ibarretxe says he respects a court ruling that bars a popular consultation on self-determination, but he likened it to stifling people's right to express an opinion.

Ibarretxe calls the decision by Spain's highest court even worse than “an attack on Basque self-government.”

He read from a statement Friday and said it is unprecedented in 21st-century Europe for a government not to be able to ask its people their opinion.

"This is an extraordinary snub to the Basque parliament and its powers, and is also, politically and socially, an abuse of democracy," Basque Country Premier Juan Jose Ibarretxe told reporters.

He said he would appeal at the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg on Sept. 23 to be allowed to proceed with the vote.

Nonbinding referendum

Spain’s Constitutional Court, the highest in the country, said on Thursday a Consultation Law approved by the Basque Government earlier this year is unconstitutional and suspended a consultation which Basque authorities wanted to hold Oct. 25.

The popular consultation planned to put two questions to a vote. The first asked Basques if they favor a negotiated solution to the conflict if the armed Basque group ETA was willing to end violence.

The second asked if they agreed that all Basque political parties should work toward an agreement on what it calls Basques' right to decide their future and that this should be put to a referendum before the end of 2010.