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Pact urges talks on vote

Elena calls on Rajoy to “make a move” following widespread support for negotiated referendum during Sant Jordi Day campaign to collect signatures

The gathering of signatures in favour of a referendum agreed with the Rajoy government was a success on Sant Jordi's Day. That is according to the Pacte Nacional pel Referèndum after confirming large numbers of people expressed their support on Sunday, even causing some stands to run out of forms to sign.

While the number of signatures gathered is still unknown, the response by the public encouraged the organisers of the pact to redouble their efforts, and yesterday, the coordinator, Joan Ignasi Elena, appealed directly to prime minister Mariano Rajoy to “make a move” and sit to negotiate the referendum. “Yesterday showed that the demand is broad and plural,” insisted Elena, who said the Spanish government cannot continue “rooted in silence” after the widespread show of support. In an interview on Catalunya Ràdio, Elena suggested it was the “most reasonable solution, which a majority of Catalans call for.”

Nor have the members of the pact given up on gathering signatures and in the next few weeks will accept more on the pactepelreferendum.cat website. Moreover, the stands will again be on the streets on May 1, for the demonstrations on Labour Day. While Elena gave no date for the campaign's end, it is expected to finish at the end of May when the final figures will be known.

And while the campaign goes on, activists of the CUP party took advantage of Sant Jordi's Day to also raise support for a referendum, although a unilateral one, since they rule out agreement with the State as possible. On Sunday, the anti-capitalists handed out leaflets with the slogan, Referèndum sí o sí, to reinforce what they say is the only viable option for resolving the political situation.

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