Catalans divided on breakaway
43.5% OF 1 000 RESIDENTS IN REGION WANT TO STAY PART OF UNITED COUNTRY Puigdemont and regional officials fired by Madrid.
Atotal of 42.5% of Catalans support Catalonia’s independence from Spain, while 43.5% of the respondents said they were against the secession, a poll published yesterday showed.
The Sigma Dos poll published in the El Mundo newspaper was conducted from October 23-26 among 1 000 residents of Catalonia.
The autonomous region of Catalonia held an independence referendum on October 1, with more than 90% of the 2.26 million Catalans who participated in the vote supporting the region’s secession from Spain. Madrid called the vote illegal.
On Friday, the Catalan parliament in a secret ballot voted in favour of a motion which declares the region’s independence from Spain in the form of a republic.
Spain’s Senate then voted to invoke article 155 of the constitution and thus impose direct rule on Catalonia by dissolving local parliament, firing devolved government and calling a snap election in the region for December 21.
The ousted vice-president of Catalonia’s rebellious government has left open the possibility that secessionist parties will participate in a regional election called by Spain’s central government.
Oriol Junqueras wrote in an open letter published yesterday in Catalan newspaper El PuntAvui that separatist forces must “continue forward without ever renouncing the ballot boxes”.
Junqueras, regional president Carles Puigdemont and the rest of their top government officials were fired by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy on Saturday – a day after Catalonia’s parliament voted in favour of a declaration of independence for the northeastern region.
Rajoy also announced that he was dissolving the Catalan parliament and called regional elections for December 21 in hopes that pro-union parties can take back the majority in the region’s legislative chamber.
Hundreds of thousands of people opposing Catalan independence gathered in central Barcelona yesterday in a demonstration in favour of Spain’s unity.
The demonstration came two days after Catalonia’s separatist lawmakers voted to secede from Spain. The move was met by the central government in Madrid triggering unprecedented constitutional powers to take control of the region’s affairs.
Organisers of yesterday’s march said its goal was to defend Spain’s unity and reject “an unprecedented attack in the history of democracy”. Their slogan was “We are all Catalonia. Common sense for coexistence!” Members of the central government and main pro-union parties were expected to join.
Three weeks ago, the same group organised a mass rally that brought hundreds of thousands onto Barcelona’s streets.
A Belgian government official says it would be “not unrealistic” for ousted Catalan leader Puigdemont to ask for asylum and warns it would create serious diplomatic difficulties with fellow European Union member state Spain.
Asylum State Secretary Theo Francken tweeted early yesterday that “it is possible to ask for asylum as an EU subject” in Belgium. Francken stressed that Belgium wasn’t seeking such a scenario, saying “I’m not rolling out the welcome mat”.
Francken added that if such a request would come in, “we’d enter a difficult diplomatic situation with the Spanish authorities. That is evident”.
There has been no indication that Puigdemont has requested asylum after Spain dismissed Catalonia’s leaders, including Puigdemont, after regional lawmakers voted to declare independence from Spain. – Sputnik and AP