Institutional declaration by President of the Government

Moncloa Palace, Madrid

Ladies and gentlemen, a very good evening to you and thank you very much for attending this press briefing.

I wanted to address all of you this evening as the President of the Government of Spain; a great nation, one of the oldest in Europe and one of the most developed in the whole world; a mature and advanced, friendly and tolerant, yet firm and determined democracy with a rule of law that offers every guarantee. Our nation.

I have always believed that my main obligation as President of the Government is to uphold the law and ensure that it is upheld, to protect and guarantee democracy; but also to protect our way of life together in the search for harmony. To be the President of the Government of all the people of Spain, of those who have voted for me and of those who will never vote for me. That is what I have always done and that is what I want to speak about here today.

I can tell you now in the most forthright manner what all of you already know and what we have been able to observe today - that no referendum on self-determination has been held in Catalonia today.

All of the people of Spain have today been able to observe that our rule of law remains strong and valid, that it responds to those who break the law, that it reacts to all those who wish to subvert it, that it acts with all legal instruments available to tackle any form of provocation and it does so effectively and in a calm manner.

Today we have not witnessed any form of referendum, but rather a mere spectacle; one more episode in a strategy against democratic co-existence and the law.

In this irresponsible political strategy, some people have tried to steal the voice of those who think differently. They have violated the most fundamental of rights and have overstepped the most basic thresholds of democratic decorum. We could see this unequivocally at the plenary session of the Regional Parliament of Catalonia on 6 and 7 September when, in just a few hours, they tried to wipe out the Spanish Constitution and the Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia with the stroke of a pen, while, at the same time, wiping out all the democratic rights of the opposition.

To claim that the arbitrary decisions and abuse we have witnessed since then are democratic exercise is to laugh in the face of democracy. We have witnessed conduct and attitudes that are repulsive to any democrat and that should never be seen again: the indoctrination of children, the harassment of judges and journalists, along with many other examples.

I wish to make it absolutely clear that those responsible for these events that have taken place today, and that have brought us here now, are sole and exclusive of those who have promoted the law being violated and the destruction of our way of life together. Let's not look for any more culprits because there aren't any.

I am well aware that there are many Catalans who were deceived into being called to take part in an illegal mobilisation that was logistically disjointed and offered no form of guarantee. I appreciate the frustration that they feel today and I truly regret this, but I would also say to them that the channel for debate on political demands can never stem from a violation of legality or from imposition but only from loyal dialogue in which all parties are heard and responded to.

I wish to state to the whole of Spain that the vast majority of the people of Catalonia chose not to take part in the text imposed by the secessionists. That is indisputable.

Today, the vast majority of the people of Catalonia have shown that they are law-abiding citizens in the noblest sense of the word. Without making a fuss and causing an uproar they have ignored this call and by doing so have sought to place themselves on the side of democracy and in favour of living together. I particularly wish to thank them for this. They have shown evidence of a great public spirit and of an unwavering respect for the principles that laid the foundations for our co-existence. They have found a way to resist the onslaught of the worst populist practices.

They must be aware that all of the people of Spain value their attitude. From this respect for peaceful and legal co-existence we have together built - and will indeed continue to build - a nation that has been able to construct a full democracy with a shared desire for well-being and progress.

Over the course of our long and shared history, the people of Spain have found a way to overcome the most painful of difficulties and also certain difficulties that appeared insurmountable. We have been an example to the world through our ability to believe in ourselves and overcome each hurdle.

As you are all aware, the government has insisted at all times that this referendum would not be held and those who sought to push through this challenge have known this for many months. They knew this and even admitted it this week. They acknowledged this yesterday with absolute clarity and have confirmed this today. They knew that the referendum was illegal, inadmissible and impossible, but they opted to push forwards regardless and promote an authentic attack on the rule of law and our democratic model, without giving a moment's thought to anyone or anything; a premeditated and conscious attack to which the State has reacted firmly yet calmly. The referendum that sought to wipe out the Spanish Constitution and declare independence for part of our country without taking into account the opinion of the people of Spain has simply not taken place. This has been averted on sound legal groundings, with the backing of democrats, with the determination of the courts and with the actions of the State law enforcement agencies.

At this point I would like to thank the political parties that have shown their loyalty to the State under these difficult circumstances, the judges and prosecutors that have upheld and invoked the law without fearing the anti-democratic harassment they have been subject to recently; and particularly the State law enforcement agencies, the National Police and the Guardia Civil. They have done their duty under the mandate from the system of justice. It would have been much easier for everyone to look the other way while our legality suffered such a serious assault, but they have not done so. They have all loyally responded to their commitment to democracy and to the rule of law.

I would also like to highlight and thank the European Union and the international community as a whole for their unwavering support, having appreciated at all times that what was at stake here was the validity of our constitutional order.

And I want everyone to be aware that what we have done is what needed to be done. We are the Government of Spain and I am the President of the Government of Spain and I have assumed my responsibilities. We have done our duty, we have acted, as I have said from the outset, with the law on our side and only by upholding the law, and we have shown that our democratic State has the necessary instruments to defend itself from such a serious attack as was made by trying to force through this illegal referendum.

Today democracy has prevailed because the Constitution has been upheld.

From the start of this senseless process and throughout the course of today, we have seen how some people have tried to bypass the law, the bounds of our co-existence and the limits of public order, but what they have come up against has been the serenity and common sense of those who know that their rights and liberties are protected by the law, guaranteed by the courts and backed by the rule of law.

Today we all have good reason to trust in democracy. A process that has only served to sow the seeds of division, set citizens against each other, stir up trouble in the streets and provoke unwanted situations has failed. It has only served to cause great harm to our co-existence, an asset we should try to recover as soon as possible.

I say this with absolute clarity: I will not close any doors. I have never done so. That is not the way I treat politics. I have always offered honest and frank dialogue, but always within the bounds of the law and the framework of democracy.

Co-existence in Spain has always been based on accord and that is the way it must remain. We cannot allow our desire for harmony over the last 40 years to be replaced by a few seeking to blackmail a nation.

They have had many opportunities to abandon their illegal approach. They didn't want to. I tried to ensure this. I asked them many times to rectify the situation but these attempts fell on deaf ears. They had every reason to renounce their senselessness but did not want to do so. We hope they will do so now rather than stubbornly continuing with the error of their ways; that they renounce taking further steps down a path which, as have been made patently clear, does not lead anywhere.

As of tomorrow we must start to re-establish institutional normality. We are going to do this, as ever, through calm firmness and also - that is what I hope, at least - through unity. To that end, I wish to continue counting on the support of the parties that defend our constitutional foundations.

To achieve this, I propose calling on all the political forces with parliamentary representation to reflect together on the future we must address together. Tomorrow I will also ask to appear in the Lower House of Parliament.

Ladies and gentlemen,

If just one thing stands out from today's events, it is that the strength of democracy in Spain has been observed, the effectiveness of its institutions, the loyalty of its public servants and the unity and responsibility shown by the vast majority of our citizens.

The foundations of our democracy are very sound, and as such the people of Spain, and accordingly all of the people of Catalonia, over the course of many centuries, have been able to stay united while treading the path of liberty, justice, progress and democratic co-existence.

Good evening and thank you very much.

Non official translation