The Catalan struggle for independence has been raging for more than the past three years, but became world news in October 2017 when the Catalan government organized a referendum. A majority of Catalan voters then voted for independence. A few weeks later, the Catalan parliament unilaterally declared independence.
However, according to the Spanish government of then Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, the referendum was in violation of the Spanish constitution. Madrid sent security forces to Catalonia, who sometimes cracked down on voters in front of the world. Nine Catalan politicians were sentenced to years in prison at the end of last year for their role in the referendum. The most severe sentence, 13 years in prison, went to the then Catalan ERC Deputy Prime Minister Oriol Junqueras.
The then Prime Minister Carles Puigdemont was not convicted. He fled abroad and has now been living in our country for almost three years. He is now a Member of the European Parliament. After much disagreement between the Spanish government and the Catalan government, Quim Torra eventually succeeded Puigdemont.
Three years after the referendum, the separatist parties in Catalonia still have a majority in parliament, but disagreements are growing among themselves. The party of Torra and Puigdemont continues to confront the Spanish government, while the left-wing ERC (now the largest in the polls) wants to change tack and engage more in dialogue with Madrid.
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