Catalonia to continue independence

Catalonia to continue independence push despite Madrid opposition


Pro-independence parties won regional elections in Catalonia last September
Pro-independence parties won regional elections in Catalonia last  
 
By Jessica Winch   



Catalonia will push ahead with an 18-month plan to break away from Spain, despite fierce opposition from Madrid, the region's foreign policy chief has said.
Raul Romeva told the Telegraph that Catalonia had a democratic mandate to push for secession, after pro-independence parties won regional elections last September.
"We are making a last offer: let's hold a referendum, let's ask the people and negotiate the terms," he said. "If this is not the case, we feel legitimated to go ahead."
Pro-independence parties won an absolute majority of seats in the Catalan parliament, giving them the necessary clout to push for independence, although they fell short of winning 50 per cent of the popular vote.
 


The regional government is now building a tax system, social security network and the necessary state institutions, under the region’s new president, Carles Puigdemont.
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By next summer, if there is no negotiated referendum agreed with Madrid, the region will hold its own plebiscite on the issue.
Mr Romeva said a unilateral declaration of independence was one of the possible next steps.
"Among other things, that is one of the options," he said. "What we want is a negotiated scenario."


Spain itself has been in political deadlock since inconclusive elections last December, when no party gained a majority. After a series of failed attempts at forming a coalition government, the country looks set to return to the polls in June for a second round of voting.
Mariano Rajoy, Spain's acting prime minister, has refused to contemplate a Catalan referendum, a position backed by all the main parties except left-wing Podemos.
Spain's constitutional court has also struck down a series of secessionist laws made by the Catalan parliament.
"We are not keeping quiet," said Mr Romeva. "We have a democratic mandate, and we are committed to it for a single reason: this is a mandate that comes from the people to the institutions, not the other way around."
He added: "The fact that Spain is in a transition period, pending new elections, is not an excuse for not sitting at the table and discussing the situation."
The Scottish referendum is an example of how a potential exit could be handled in a legal way, Mr Romeva said. Scotland voted to remain part of the United Kingdom, but if it had gone the other way, London would have permitted secession.
Mr Romeva also pointed to the Brexit negotiations as an example of how European attitudes could change.
"Brexit shows that the EU is a dynamic project, not a static one," he said. "These situations simply demonstrate that there are no presumptions that are inviolable.
"What is certain is that after the referendum, whatever the result, the situation will be different and you will need to adapt."