Spain: Catalan leader announces Oct. independence vote

By Alyssa McMurtry

MADRID (AA) - The leader of Catalonia announced on Friday that the northeastern Spanish region will hold a referendum for independence on Oct. 1 – with or without Madrid’s permission.

Carles Puigdemont also said the question put to voters will be: "Do you want Catalonia to be an independent country in the form of a republic?"

Catalonia’s pro-independence government has promised to consult locals on the question of independence since it won regional elections in September 2015. This boldly defies Madrid, which has repeatedly denied Catalonia the opportunity for a referendum similar to that of Scotland or Quebec.

The Spanish central government stands firm on its position that a referendum is constitutionally illegal because one region cannot make a decision that will affect the whole country.

"They can announce it however many times they want or delay the date by however many weeks they want… but this referendum will not happen," said Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría, Spain’s deputy prime minister, earlier this week.

A survey published at the end of March by a Catalan think-tank found that the enthusiasm for independence has been waning in the region. The survey suggests that 48.5 percent of Catalan voters would vote against independence versus 44.3 percent who would vote for the region to become an independent republic.

The government of Catalonia says it has been open to negotiating the terms of the referendum or coming to an agreement, but has been ignored by Madrid.

On the other hand, opponents of Catalan independence, including the Popular Party and an association of Catalan businesses, say that the only thing the people of Catalonia should be voting on is a new regional government.