Catalan parliament votes for independence from Spain

Parties favoring independence from Spain won a majority of seats in the Catalan assembly, representing one of Spain’s wealthiest regions, in September. The resolution is backed by Catalan Junts pel Si (Together for Yes) and Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP) parties.

The Parliament of Catalan [official website, in Catalan] on Monday approved [press release, in Catalan] a proposed resolution to begin separation from Spain. Following the country’s economic crisis, calls for independence have increased. Rajoy has said that after an emergency meeting of the government Wednesday morning he will sign the appeal and will ask for the preventive suspension of the Catalan resolution.

Collectively for Yes head Raul Romeva on Monday. stated “there is a growing cry” for Catalonia “to be a state with everything in that means”.

Madrid says it will file an appeal with the Constitutional Court following the Catalan parliament’s vote in favour of initiating proceedings for independence from Spain.

The declaration said it considered that judicial decisions, “in particular those of the Constitutional Court”, were not legitimate, raising the prospect that regional politicians could disobey its rulings. If Catalan lawmakers follow through with this plan, their region will be independent by 2017.

The pro-independence parties said ahead of the September vote that they considered it a de facto referendum on independence from Spain. Recent opinion polls show Catalans are evenly divided on whether to break away from Spain.

The resolution says the parliament is not beholden to decisions by the Spanish central government – the first time in Spanish history that this has happened. But many there believe they pay too much in taxes and get too little government investment in return, reports The Christian Science Monitor. A referendum held in 2013 resulted in 80 percent support for secession, but was deemed invalid by Madrid.

The independence movement is shaking Spanish politics just weeks before national elections to be held on December 20. “Catalonia is a country on the move”.

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