A NON-BINDING referendum on Catalunya's independence is under way today (Sunday) as planned, even though nobody knew almost until the last minute whether the region would be going to the polls or not and under what guise.
With a full referendum having been banned by the central government via the Constitutional Court, and even a public consultation blocked, the voting today is little more than a public opinion poll with official electoral census and nobody obliged to man the booths.
Even then, Spain's president Mariano Rajoy and the rest of his PP cabinet has appealed against it and the court has refused to throw this appeal out.
Regional president of Catalunya, Artur Mas (pictured below right), says not even letting residents take part in an opinion-gathering exercise is 'anti-democratic'.
He says he is not pushing for independence in the same way as Scottish prime minister Alex Salmond did earlier this year, but at this stage only wants to know what the people of Catalunya think and what proportion of them would be in favour of, or against a secession.
Rajoy has taken steps to stop this happening, even on these non-onerous grounds, but Mas has defied him and gone ahead.
It is not clear whether he could face political or civil consequences as a result.
A total of 40,000 volunteers and members of regional political parties in favour of the public consultation will be on duty at the polling stations.
The ballots will ask the question, “do you want Catalunya to become a State?” with the option of 'yes' or 'no', and in the event of a 'yes' answer, asks, “do you want this State to be independent?” Again, with a 'yes' or 'no' option.
The 'election' is an 'open process' for 'everyone', Mas stresses, and suggestions that differ from the 'yes/no' questions on the ballot will be accepted and and read – in fact, the voting slip contains a box for these.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com