Catalans vote in symbolic independence referendum

On Sunday, people began casting their ballots in Catalonia, which is one of Spain’s largest and wealthiest regions.

According to the regional government, 5.4 million Catalans and resident foreigners aged 16 and over are eligible to take part in the non-binding referendum.

Pro-independence organizations have campaigned robustly for a big turnout from the region’s 7.5 million people.

Ballot boxes were set up on Saturday at schools and town halls across Catalonia, which accounts for around one-fifth of Spain’s economy.

The government of Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, meanwhile, has pledged to defend the unity of the country, mounting a series of constitutional appeals in an attempt to block the referendum.

“What will take place tomorrow, we can call it whatever one wants, but it is not a referendum, not a consultation, nor anything that resembles it, I can’t even qualify it. What is certain is that it will not have any effect,” Rajoy said at a party rally on Saturday in the eastern city of Caceres.

A “Yes” vote in the referendum vote will not automatically lead to the secession of the region, but only gives the Catalan president the mandate to negotiate independence with the Spanish administration.

Catalonia moved towards greater autonomy in 2006 when it formally adopted a charter that assigned it the status of a “nation”. However, the nationhood claim was overruled by Spain’s Constitutional Court that in 2010.

Many Catalans believe their economy would be more prosperous on its own, complaining that a high portion of their taxes goes to the central government in Madrid.

Source: PressTV