Catalonians seek legal case for secession vote

MADRID (AP) — The pro-independence government of Catalonia is examining possible legal arguments to persuade Spain's Constitutional Court to lift its provisional suspension of a secession referendum in the region.

Spokesman Francesc Homs said the regional government met Friday with leaders of other regional parties that back the plans to hold a referendum on Nov. 9 to see how they could make a legal case for the ballot.

The Constitutional Court decided last month to hear the Spanish government's case against the referendum, automatically suspending the vote until the court hears arguments and makes a decision — a process that could take months or years.

Most lawmakers in the Catalan parliament in Barcelona favor a ballot. But the central government and most members of Spain's national Parliament in Madrid overwhelmingly oppose it, arguing it violates the Spanish Constitution.