Catalonia Overwhelmingly Votes
for Independence From Spain in Straw Poll
BARCELONA —
Defying legal and political objections from Madrid, more than two million
Catalans took part on Sunday in a straw poll on independence that the region’s
governing politicians have presented as a prelude to breaking away from the
rest of Spain.
The poll,
as expected, resulted in an overwhelming secessionist victory, with 80.7
percent of votes cast in favor of independence, according to the preliminary
results released by the regional government of Catalonia early Monday. The
results were based on 88 percent of votes counted. The government also forecast
the final turnout figure would be 2.25 million voters. However, Spain’s justice minister, Rafael Catalá, told
reporters on Sunday evening that the vote had been a “useless and sterile” act
of political propaganda orchestrated by the regional government of Artur Mas.
Even after being
ordered by the Constitutional Court of Spain to suspend the vote, the regional
government allowed the straw poll. It has insisted that such a court ban could
not override the right of Catalonia’s 7.5 million citizens, who include 5.4
million voters, to decide whether to secede.
The Catalan
secessionist standoff comes after Scotland voted in September not to break away
from Britain. That referendum, however, was authorized by the British
government in London. The fight over Catalonia’s future is proving far more
contentious and has turned into the biggest political challenge for Prime
Minister Mariano Rajoy since he took office in late 2011.
In a
televised news conference late Sunday, Mr. Mas argued the vote was “a total
success,” held despite a central government that had displayed “political
short-sightedness and indifference, if not intolerance.”
He urged
Mr. Rajoy to allow Catalans to hold a formal referendum soon. “Like Quebec and
Scotland, Catalonia also wants to decide its political future,” he said.
Mr. Rajoy
fought to prevent a Catalan vote that he claimed would violate the Spanish
Constitution. He told a party conference on Saturday that the Catalan vote had
no validity and would have “no effect whatsoever.” Speaking on Sunday on behalf
of Mr. Rajoy’s government, Mr. Catalá, the justice minister, also stressed the
vote had no legal implications for Spain and warned instead that the attorney
general’s office was probing whether charges could be filed against the Catalan
organizers of an invalid poll.
While
trying not to be held responsible for provoking a constitutional crisis in
Spain, Mr. Mas has been under pressure from other secessionist politicians to
keep Catalonia’s independence plans on track.In recent weeks, the
Constitutional Court repeatedly sided with Mr. Rajoy’s government, forcing Mr.
Mas to adjust his plans in order to circumvent legal and political objections
from Madrid.
