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Spanish parliament blocks Catalonia referendum on independence

Wednesday, October 10th 2012 - 09:25 UTC
Full article 11 comments
Conservatives and Socialists voted down the Artur Mas initiative Conservatives and Socialists voted down the Artur Mas initiative

Spain's parliament voted to block the northern region of Catalonia from holding a referendum on independence, the latest step in a growing political battle between Barcelona and Madrid in the midst of a deepening economic downturn.

The motion to permit the referendum was brought to the lower house by the Catalan ERC party but was voted down by the ruling conservatives (PP), which hold an absolute majority, the opposition Socialists (PSOE) and the smaller UPyD party.

The heavily indebted region, responsible for a fifth of the country's economic output, voted in favour of holding the referendum at the end of September, in defiance of Madrid.

Catalonia brought forward regional elections to Nov. 25 after regional leader Artur Mas' proposal to create a separate Catalan tax agency was flatly rejected by Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who said it went against Spain's Constitution.

Mas then said he would seek a referendum on an independent Catalonia, rattling already nervous international markets which have pushed up Spanish debt premiums on concerns it cannot control its finances, largely due to its over-spending regions.

Catalonia, all but shut out of international debt markets, has requested a state liquidity line for just over 5 billion Euros.

Independence fervour has been growing in Catalonia during the deep recession. More than half of Catalans say they want a separate state
 

Categories: Politics, International.

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  • Conqueror

    Can we say there's a good chance of Catalonia's secession from Spain? Yes we can. Let's compare Catalonia seceding from Spain to Scotland seceding from the UK. As Boovis pointed out in http://en.mercopress.com/2012/10/09/uk-displays-red-line-in-plan-to-merge-defence-giants-eads-and-bae-systems more than half of Scots would vote against independence. That figure will INCREASE as more and more Scots realise that Salmond doesn't have a clue. Except on how to lie. Catalonia is the most prosperous part of Spain and it seems that more than half of Catalans are now fed up with supporting the rest of the country. Catalonia's GDP is about 25% of that of Spain as a whole. Good luck to them I say. Catalans are already recognised as a nationality. They are autonomous. Let them go the whole way if they want. It's only Rajoy's dictatorial PP party that sees it differently!

    Oct 10th, 2012 - 01:07 pm 0
  • pecurto

    Comment removed by the editor.

    Oct 10th, 2012 - 02:00 pm 0
  • SusanBoyle_loves(a)yankee

    Aye yee sassenach, us Scots shall be puttinr yer on yer bikes sooon, we'r tyred of bing sent to waars that ur concocting, tyred of our lads coming back pan breid. Jeist accept'thats how tis to came 2014, on yer trolley noow.

    Oct 10th, 2012 - 03:21 pm 0
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