Rajoy may call for criminal action against Artur Mas if Catalunya independence consultation goes ahead

Mas' consultation with the left-wing regional republican party, ERC, is planned for 2014, but a Constitutional Court ruling may say he cannot do so.

And Spanish president Mariano Rajoy's cabinet says if Mas does not obey a verdict against him claiming any consultation on Catalunya becoming a separate country would go against the Constitution, they will take action via the criminal route.

Spain's government will firstly attempt to outlaw the consultation through the Constitutional Court, but if they uphold Rajoy's appeal and Mas ignores this, he will be considered as breaking the law.

Going against a court sentence, and particularly that of one of the highest courts in the land, is illegal and the Catalán president would be found guilty of a criminal offence.

But Rajoy insists his aim would not be to see Mas go to jail, only to disqualify him from being in politics.

This will mean Mas can no longer hold a position in public office and would automatically be removed from his role as president.

Following the loss of seats by Mas' party after he called an early regional election in a bid to show Rajoy's team that the people of Catalunya wanted to be a separate country – a move that backfired – Mas hoped to form a coalition with ERC to give the independence movement greater power.

The central government has been taking every possible step to prevent the pact between the two parties, and says Catalunya has its 'full support' as an autonomous region.

Catalunya's socialist party has offered to stand down so that the CiU, which Mas represents, would not need back-up by forming a coalition, but the regional president has declined.