Canarian president proposes a referendum on oil prospecting but Madrid refuses to allow it

[Janet]

 The popular no campaign "Movimiento Ciudadano Contra Las Prospecciones" has called a Canaries-wide protest for 18 October. The locations for gatherings are shown in the poster above: in Tenerife, this is Parque García Sanabria in Santa Cruz. The no campaign's "Save Canarias" website is HERE, and it also has a Facebook page HERE. If nothing else, it will be interesting to see the level of protest which turns out on the 18th across the archipelago. JA

[Janet]

Estimates of numbers vary, as always, but it does seem that around 21,000 attended the demonstrations in total, comprising 4,000 in Tenerife, 6,000 in Gran Canaria, 8,000 in Lanzarote (a huge number for the island which most expects to be affected), 2,000 in Fuerteventura, 415 in La Gomera, 250 in La Palma, and 150 in El Hierro, and 100 in La Graciosa.

Just to clarify, the numbers quoted come from the government, which was fully behind the call for the demonstration, so they are not going to be downplaying these figures! There are some sources quoting higher numbers, but on this occasion I think the government's figures are accurate because they have no reason to downplay them, and indeed every reason to talk them up.  JA

[Janet]

Genel Energy says that it has found oil in the Sidi Musa-1 field off the Moroccan coast. The company says that the oil is at a depth of 2,825m and it will now proceed to isolate and check pressure, permeability and productive capacity. Technically, therefore, this sounds like an early announcement, but oil there is. And being just 200km from the Canaries that, it is likely to be a real boost to those who say Spanish exploration should proceed in order to get the maximum economic benefits for the country generally, and the Canaries specifically because there will be prospecting near here regardless of what Spain decides or the Canaries thinks.  JA

[Janet]

The Canarian government has announced that it is putting the referendum on hold until the Constitutional Court has given a ruling as to its legality. The statement by presidencia was made just hours after the Spanish deputy PM Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría said that the national government itself would be appealing to the court on the grounds that the referendum was unconstitutional. The date for the hearing has not been set, but the court's judgment cannot come before 4 November when it next sits. The Canarian government insists that its planned vote was legal, but says it will wait until the Constitutional Court rules before deciding its next move. JA

[Janet]

And at the first available hearing, the Constitutional Court has unanimously formally suspended the Canarian Government's planned referendum. The suspension comes as an integral part of the formal acceptance to process of Madrid's appeal, which will now go forward for hearing, and does not presume any judgment about the root issue by the court.  JA