Catalunya votes to hold independence referendum by September 2017 'at the latest'
Saturday, October 8, 2016 @ 11:26 PM
CATALUNYA'S regional Parliament has voted to hold a referendum on independence by September 2017 'at the very latest', with or without the blessing of the Spanish government.
The debate is part of a plan for a unilateral declaration on independence, which the regional government expects to become reality by around 2019 if the majority of residents and natives of Catalunya agree.
A total of 62 votes in favour from Junts pel Sí ('Together for Yes', or JxSí) and 10 from the CUP, against 11 members of Sí Que Es Pot ('Yes it can be done', a faction of Podemos) abstaining pushed the move through.
The right-wing PP, left-wing socialists (PSC) and centre-right Ciudadanos actively refused to vote, saying the issue was outside the terms of the Spanish Constitution and not valid for debate.
They and their national government counterparts have refused to recognise the result of the vote for this reason.
Presumably, however, this means a referendum will be held in the next 11 months despite the opposition from the Constitutional Court and the current PP-led acting government.
This risky move could mean regional president Carles Puigdemont and his cabinet facing court action for 'disobedience' or even 'sedition', a situation which his predecessor Artur Mas and the latter's ministers are facing at present over a non-binding opinion poll held last November.
Read more at thinkSPAIN.com