Independence
Spain parliament rejects Catalonia independence referendum
The Cortes Generales, the bicameral parliament of Spain, on Thursday rejected a proposed referendum that would have allowed the Catalonia region to vote on whether the autonomous community should become an independent state or remain a part of Spain. The referendum, scheduled for November 9, 2014 was voted down by 272 deputies from the country's primary political parties, with 43 votes from Catalonian nationalist groups and other parties in favor.
According to The President of the Generalitat of Catalonia Artur Mas the referendum will contain a single two part question: "Do you want Catalonia to become a State?" and in case of an affirmative response, "Do you want this State to be independent?" Mas has been a strong critic of the national government in Madrid and has stated that the referendum will go on despite attempts from the Spanish government to block it.
The fight for Catalan independence has run concurrently with a recent push for Scottish independence from the UK. In November the Scottish Parliament unanimously approved a bill to hold a Scottish independence referendum. The bill outlines the referendum rules. Both independence opponents and supporters in parliament supported the bill, which will permit a 16-week campaign period and impose financial limits on campaigners to create a level playing field. If Scotland became independent it would have to reapply for European Union (EU) membership, according to a report released in February by the HM Treasury, the UK's economic and finance ministry.
(Published by Jurist – February 20, 2014)