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Catalonia parties sign ‘pre-agreement’ on independence

Tuesday, 31 March 2015 8:17 AM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 31 March 2015 8:16 AM ]

People wave independence flags as they celebrate Catalonia National Day in Barcelona, Spain, September 11, 2014. (© AFP)

Pro-independence parties in Spain’s Catalonia have agreed on a preliminary deal for the region’s independence from Spain if they win the majority of votes in regional elections scheduled to be held in September.

The Democratic Convergence party of Catalan President Artur Mas, its parliamentary ally Republican Catalan Left (ERC) and three other parties signed the “pre-agreement” on Monday.

“The pre-agreement will become an agreement when... Mas calls elections for September 27 and the political parties... include it in their electoral program,” the Catalan National Assembly (ANC) said in a statement later in the day.

Under the accord, if the parties win the September 27 regional elections, they will declare independence for Catalonia within 18 months. They also plan to begin drafting a Catalan constitution immediately after the vote.

The regional government of Catalonia attempted to hold a referendum on independence in November last year, but Spain’s Constitutional Court blocked the effort. Madrid is completely opposed to the wealthy region’s independence.

Later in November, Catalonia held a symbolic vote on independence. More than 2.2 million people out of a total electorate of 5.4 million participated in the referendum, with over 80 percent of them voting in favor of Catalonia’s independence, according to regional officials.

The non-binding vote gave the regional president a mandate to negotiate independence with the Spanish administration.

Catalonia moved toward greater autonomy in 2006 when it formally adopted a charter that assigned it the status of a “nation.” However, Spain’s Constitutional Court overruled the nationhood claim in 2010.

A wealthy northeastern region of Spain, Catalonia has a population of 7.6 million people, accounting for nearly one-fifth of the country’s economy.

Many Catalans believe their economy would be more prosperous on its own, complaining that a high portion of their taxes goes to the central government in Madrid.

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