Catalonia set for symbolic poll on independence from Spain

Catalans are heading to the polls on Sunday in a symbolic vote on the northeast region’s independence from the rest of Spain. Ballot boxes have been distributed in 1317 polling stations, far less than in a normal election. Catalans are still finding out where they have to vote by inquiring at pro-independence stands placed in cities and towns, or looking it up on special websites set up by local institutions. Opinion polls show that as many as 80 percent of the 7.5 million people in the northeast region are in favour of increased autonomy from Spain, with about 50 percent in favour of full independence.

[This is] neither a referendum nor a consultation nor anything of the sort, and it won’t have any effect at all.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy

Spain’s conservative Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said his country cannot hold an independence referendum like Scotland because, unlike Britain, it has a written constitution that forbids it. But Catalans have pushed ahead defiantly, fired up by Scotland’s independence referendum in September, even though Scots voted not to break away from Britain. Proud of its distinct language and culture, Catalonia accounts for nearly a fifth of Spain’s economy. Demands for greater autonomy there have been rumbling for years, but the latest bid by the region’s president Artur Mas has pushed the issue further than ever before.

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