The possibility of an authorised referendum on Catalan independence sets off a phobic reaction in the new Spanish government: in a single day, no less than three ministers in Pedro Sánchez's freshly appointed Spanish cabinet have come out and said "no" to Catalonia's right to self-determination. In three separate newspaper interviews, in the first weekend after Spain's new socialist government took power, territorial administration minister Meritxell Batet, works minister José Luis Ábalos, and vice president Carmen Calvo have all stated very clearly that "there is nothing to negotiate" with respect to a referendum.
"It is not a question of finding out who would vote yes or no", according to Meritxell Batet, holder of the territorial administration portfolio, asserting that a referendum "would not get us out of the conflict". In an interview in El Periódico, the minister explained that "it is not a case of using a vote as a tie-breaker", but rather to "search for a consensus solution".
New Spanish vice president Carmen Calvo also referred to the issue in an interview in El País. "The referendum is not part of any agenda held by the government of Spain. It cannot be. We are also the government of the Catalans, both of the independence supporters and of those who expect that their government is able to give them the tranquility that they need."
And in the same line, new works minister and organizational secretary for the PSOE party, José Luis Ábalos, also flatly rejected Catalonia's right to self-determination in an interview in the ABC newspaper: “On the subject of a referendum, there is nothing to negotiate” he said.
Catalan Socialist leader Miquel Iceta - not part of the Spanish cabinet but a likely key figure in negotiations - has also affirmed "that there is no margin for a referendum".
Translation: The new Sánchez government will not include a referendum in the dialogue with Catalonia. "There is nothing to negotiate." From the new socialist government they do not believe that a referendum will provide a solution to the conflict in Catalonia... - La Sexta Noticias
The new executive of Pedro Sánchez did consent to put on the table the 45 points that Catalan president Carles Puigdemont —and before him, president Artur Mas— proposed to Mariano Rajoy two years ago. In total, though, there were 46 points proposed by the Catalan leaders, with the last on the list being the holding of a referendum. Just as occurred with the government of Mariano Rajoy, a referendum will not be part of the hypothetical offer of dialogue by the new Spanish government.
These declarations arrive the day after the UN's independent expert for the promotion of democracy, Alfred-Maurice de Zayas, affirmed that it is necessary to understand that "Catalonia has its own distinct culture and traditions" and that, therefore, "the only way forward is through a new referendum". Moreover, de Zayas emphasised that all member states of the United Nations and/or countries that are part of International Covenants on Civil and Political Rights and on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, have "legally committed to respect and to promote the right of self-determination".