Sunday Times 2
Catalan leader calls independence referendum
View(s):BARCELONA, Sept 27 (AFP) -Catalonia’s president today formally called a referendum to decide whether Spain’s richest region should be independent, defying Madrid which has vowed to block the move.
Catalonia's president, Artur Mas (AFP)
The Spanish government has said it will appeal to the Constitutional Court which is expected to annul the decree signed by Catalan leader Artur Mas.
Fired by the independence referendum in Scotland this month, 1.8 million people protested in Barcelona on September 11 to be allowed to hold their own vote.
“We want to vote,” Mas said after he inked the decree calling a referendum in a ceremony at the Generalitat Palace in Barcelona.
Catalonia is Spain’s economic powerhouse, although it too suffered in the property crash and resulting crisis that gripped the rest of the country from 2008 to 2012.
Proud of their Catalan language and culture, many of the region’s 7.5 million inhabitants feel short-changed by the government in Madrid, which redistributes their taxes.
Catalonia formally adopted the status of a “nation” in 2006 but Spain’s Constitutional Court overruled the claim.
Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has described a Catalan vote on independence as illegal and has vowed to defend the unity of Spain.