Catalonia’s Referendum: All you Need to Know
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It’s easy to miss what’s happening over in Catalonia at the moment, especially when many news outlets don’t really explain the problem and just report on what’s happening, expecting you to know all the background.
Well, worry no more – the Catlan referendum will be explained properly, right here, right now.
What’s happening?
Catalonia is hosting an independence referendum as there is an argument for it to become an independent country and leave Spain behind. It’s like Scotland with Britain, only it’s caused a lot of friction between Spain and the Catalans.
What are the police doing?
According to Barcelona’s Mayor, 460 people have been injured as Spanish police have used force to prevent people from voting in the referendum.
Police are confiscating ballot papers and boxes at polling stations they have unsuccessfully attempted to close this weekend. They are also using rubber bullets across the region and in Barcelona, the region’s capital, police have used their batons against Catalans in protests.
The Catalan leader, Carles Puigdemont, has said that there is an “unjustified use of violence…by the Spanish state” that “will not stop the will of the Catalan people”. Spain’s deputy Prime Minister, however, said that police “acted with professionalism and in a proportionate way”.
Why has there been so much aggression?
According to the Spanish constitution, that Catalonia is obliged to follow and adopt as it is a part of Spain, hosting an independence referendum is illegal without the consent of the central Spanish government. This means that the devolved powers given to the north-eastern region of Catalonia are not powerful enough for them to legally choose whether or not they want to remain a part of Spain.
Since the Spanish government refuse to give Catalonia a referendum, the region doing so illegally has ruffled some feathers, resulting in the Spanish government sending Madrid’s police to stop the referendum from going ahead. This means Catalans who wish for a vote to happen have had to have street parties at schools in order to keep polling stations open.
Why won’t Spain let them have the referendum?
Put very simply, Spain would lose out if Catalonia became an independent country. It is one of the country’s richest regions and Barcelona, the capital of Catalonia, brings in a whole lot of tourism each year which benefits the whole country’s economy.
As well as this, it is likely that other regions in Spain would wish to have similar votes, like the Basque Country.
Do Catalans want to leave Spain?
I would argue that the very fact the Spanish central government is sending police to beat up its own people means there is some truth to the idea that Catalans want independence. The region has been testing the water for some time with unofficial referendums to get a grasp of the numbers of people who want to leave Spain in the build up to this referendum.
The people of Catalonia are angry at the Spanish central government as they watered down their autonomy in 2010 after a 2006 statute granted them even more powers. It angered nationalists, whose ideology rose once more following the death of Gen Francisco Franco in 1975 following a dictatorship that spanned 36 years. It’s no wonder that some of the people feel threatened again.
What will happen if they vote ‘yes’?
Catalonia’s Prime Minister has said that if there is over a 50% voter turnout and the result of the referendum is to leave Spain, Catalonia will declare independence within two days.