Separatist parties yesterday were expected to win control of Catalonia’s parliament, setting the region on course for a unilateral declaration of independence from Spain, which the central government says is impossible.
Opinion polls indicate the main secessionist coalition Junts Pel Si (Together for Yes) and leftist party CUP are likely to fall short of 50 percent of the vote, but they would still secure a majority of seats in the 135-strong regional assembly.
Both have said that such a result would allow them to unilaterally declare independence within 18 months.
Photo: Reuters
The center-right government of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, which has opposed any attempt to hold a referendum on secession, has called the plan to break away “a nonsense” and vowed to block it in court.
While a breakaway by the wealthy northeastern autonomous region is still very much seen as a theoretical question, even in Catalonia, analysts say the election result will bear long-lasting consequences at the local and countrywide levels.
The secessionist campaign is facing a defining moment, as support for the cause has steadily waned since a peak in 2013. Any failure to achieve a majority of seats would deal a serious blow to the movement.
The vote might also act as a catalyst for the Spanish general election due in December.
The main national parties, all seeking to capture more votes in Spain’s second most populous region, have said they were ready to discuss with Catalonia a more favorable tax regime and increased infrastructure spending if they win.
Depending on who forms a government in Madrid, constitutional reform to recognize Catalonia as a nation within the Spanish state might even be in the cards.
However, with separatists saying independence is the only solution and the next Spanish government unlikely to enjoy the strong and stable majority it would need in a new era of fragmented politics, any talks with Catalonia might be a hard sell.
However, most analysts and politicians say that such talks would go a long way toward soothing Catalan discontent.
“Only when a final package is adopted and put to a vote will the problem find some form of resolution,” Teneo Intelligence analyst Antonio Barroso said in a note this week.
“Even if secessionist parties are able to remain united — a big if — and continue pushing for independence, any concessions from Madrid would probably help to stymie the movement’s momentum,” he also said.
Financial markets are also to be watching the vote outcome. While few investors believe independence is likely anytime soon, the gap between Spanish and Catalan five-year bond yields has been hovering near its widest point in two years.
Spain’s banks, including some based in Barcelona, have warned that secession could cause financial turmoil, while the Bank of Spain has said Catalonia could risk exiting the euro.
SEEKING CHANGE: A hospital worker said she did not vote in previous elections, but ‘now I can see that maybe my vote can change the system and the country’ Voting closed yesterday across the Solomon Islands in the south Pacific nation’s first general election since the government switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing and struck a secret security pact that has raised fears of the Chinese navy gaining a foothold in the region. The Solomon Islands’ closer relationship with China and a troubled domestic economy weighed on voters’ minds as they cast their ballots. As many as 420,000 registered voters had their say across 50 national seats. For the first time, the national vote also coincided with elections for eight of the 10 local governments. Esther Maeluma cast her vote in the
Nearly half of China’s major cities are suffering “moderate to severe” levels of subsidence, putting millions of people at risk of flooding, especially as sea levels rise, according to a study of nationwide satellite data released yesterday. The authors of the paper, published by the journal Science, found that 45 percent of China’s urban land was sinking faster than 3mm per year, with 16 percent at more than 10mm per year, driven not only by declining water tables, but also the sheer weight of the built environment. With China’s urban population already in excess of 900 million people, “even a small portion
UNSETTLING IMAGES: The scene took place in front of TV crews covering the Trump trial, with a CNN anchor calling it an ‘emotional and unbelievably disturbing moment’ A man who doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire outside the courthouse where former US president Donald Trump is on trial has died, police said yesterday. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) said the man was declared dead by staff at an area hospital. The man was in Collect Pond Park at about 1:30pm on Friday when he took out pamphlets espousing conspiracy theories, tossed them around, then doused himself in an accelerant and set himself on fire, officials and witnesses said. A large number of police officers were nearby when it happened. Some officers and bystanders rushed
HYPOCRISY? The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday asked whether Biden was talking about China or the US when he used the word ‘xenophobic’ US President Joe Biden on Wednesday called for a hike in steel tariffs on China, accusing Beijing of cheating as he spoke at a campaign event in Pennsylvania. Biden accused China of xenophobia, too, in a speech to union members in Pittsburgh. “They’re not competing, they’re cheating. They’re cheating and we’ve seen the damage here in America,” Biden said. Chinese steel companies “don’t need to worry about making a profit because the Chinese government is subsidizing them so heavily,” he said. Biden said he had called for the US Trade Representative to triple the tariff rates for Chinese steel and aluminum if Beijing was