The regional government of the Spanish autonomous region of Catalonia, through its regional government, has requested a new referendum on the region’s independence. The information is from DPA, quoted by BTA.
“A referendum is possible, it’s just a matter of political will,” regional Catalan Prime Minister Pere Aragones said in Barcelona today. He specified that the question to the Catalans, implying two possible answers – “Yes” and “No”, will be clear: “Do you want Catalonia to become an independent state?”
Aragones added that such a referendum can take place on the basis of Art. 92 of the Spanish constitution, which allows the making of “political decisions of extreme importance” to be subject to a public consultation.
A referendum in Spain is generally called by the Spanish King Felipe VI on a proposal submitted by the Spanish Prime Minister after it has been approved by the country’s parliament, DPA recalls.
Representatives of the central government in Madrid immediately rejected the proposal. The Minister of the Presidency, Justice and Government Relations with the Parliament, Felix Bolaños, said he was “strongly opposed”.
According to government spokeswoman Pilar Alegría, quoted by DPA, Aragones’ proposal is political demagoguery ahead of the regional parliament elections in Catalonia on May 12.
DPA draws attention to the fact that the Prime Minister of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, promised amnesty to the Catalan separatists who participated in the unilateral attempt to declare the independence of the region in 2017, in order to guarantee his re-election to the post last autumn with the votes of Catalan MPs.
Nevertheless, Sánchez still rules out a new referendum on Catalan independence.
Aragones points out that in the same way the prime minister ruled out the amnesty option, but subsequently changed his mind. DPA recalls that Sanchez’s Socialists do not have a majority in the Spanish Parliament and rely on the votes of the Catalan representatives.
The Aragones Party, Catalonia’s Republican Left, is pushing for independence alongside Carles Puigdemont’s Junts per Catalunya (Together for Catalonia) separatists. Puigdemont has been living in exile in Belgium since 2017, but recently announced he will run in elections in Catalonia next month.
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