10 November 2014

Voting for independence


The BBC has an article (with videos) about the vote in Catalonia, Spain:
An informal vote on independence for Catalonia has shown more than eighty percent in favor, officials say. The non-binding vote went ahead after Spain's constitutional court ruled out holding a formal referendum in the autonomous north-eastern region.
More than two million people out of an estimated six million eligible voters took part in the ballot.
Catalan leader Artur Mas hailed the poll "a great success" that should pave the way for a formal referendum. "We have earned the right to a referendum," he told cheering supporters. "Once again Catalonia has shown that it wants to rule itself. I ask the people in the world, I ask the media, and I also ask the democratic governments in the world to help the Catalan people decide its political future."
The ballot was held in the face of fierce opposition from the Spanish government.
Spanish Justice Minister Rafael Catala dismissed the exercise as "a sterile and useless sham" that only served to exacerbate the divisions between Catalans and heighten political tensions. He accused Mas of pushing ahead with the 9 November 2014 vote to "hide his failure" in holding a proper referendum. "The government considers this to be a day of political propaganda organised by pro-independence forces and devoid of any kind of democratic validity," he said in a statement.
Spanish opposition Socialist leader Pedro Sanchez was more conciliatory. He said 10 November should herald a new era, when Catalonia was not outside Spain but "at the vanguard of change" that would lead to a federal Spain.
Voters were asked two questions: whether they wanted Catalonia to be a state, and whether they wanted that state to be independent.
Officials said over two million people had taken part in the "consultation of citizens" and that with almost all votes counted, eighty percent had answered yes to both questions. Just over ten percent voted yes for the first question and no for the second, he said, and about five percent voted no to both questions.
Opinion polls suggest that as many as eighty percent of Catalans want an official referendum on the issue of Catalonia's status, with about fifty percent in favor of full independence.
Spanish unionist parties argue that, because the ballot was organized by grassroots pro-independence groups, it cannot legitimately reflect the wishes of the region.
More than forty thousand volunteers helped to set up and run the informal exercise.
Catalonia's dream of independence from Spain collides with some harsh realities on the streets of Santa Coloma, a dormitory town on the northern edge of BarcelonaSanta Coloma's energetic young mayor, Nuria Parlon, is firmly opposed to independence. Independence, she argues, is a "placebo" which would not solve Catalonia's underlying problems.
The Catalan National Assembly pressure group collected signatures at polling stations on a petition to be sent to the UN and the European Commission, asking for help to convince Spain to allow an official referendum. Nationalism in Catalonia has been fueled by economic and cultural grievances. The wealthy region of nearly eight million people contributes more to the Spanish economy than it gets back through central government funds.
The Libres e Iguales (Free and Equal) group, which opposes the vote, held protests in dozens of cities. One protest in Barcelona witnessed minor scuffles but no arrests. Other rallies in favour of the vote were also held.
Rico says that independence always looks like a good idea, but it can be hard to do; ask the Confederacy, or any of the ex-Soviet states...

No comments:

 

Casino Deposit Bonus