Madrid: The wealthy northeastern region of Catalonia has voted to decide whether to stay with the country or leave. A total of 57 lakh people were eligible to vote in the poll, which was also a proof of strength for the entrenched separatist movement. There are now indications that the people may not give a majority to the demand for independence. The recent conciliatory gestures of Spain’s Socialist Prime Minister, Pedro Sánchez, are signs of success.
Last March, Catalan President Perry Aragones announced the election. This move came after the opposition defeated the budget presented by his minority government. The re-vote comes six and a half years after the illegal 2017 independence campaign by Puigdemont, president of the autonomous region of Catalonia.
On that day, the Spanish government maintained the status quo in the region by deploying thousands of police, expelling Puigdemont and his cabinet and dissolving parliament. Although Puigdemont fled the country, many of the other leaders were arrested. Many of them were pardoned by the Sanchez government three years ago.
#Stay #Spain #Catalonia #voting #Madam
2024-05-12 20:15:01
