November 9th, 2014.
This day will go down in history as the day when Catalonians defied the Spanish central government and casted their votes to decide their future. Some will call the voting today illegal, prohibited by the constitution and with no direct influence on Catalonia's affairs. Others will say it is democracy and self-determination that allows Catalonians to vote on their continuity in Spain. Today Catalans and foreign-residents alike casted their vote on two questions; "Should Catalonia become a State?" If yes, the voter would then answer a second question; "Should this state be independent?"
Catalonia has been part of Spain for over three hundred years following the siege of Barcelona on 11th of September of 1714 during the War of the Spanish Succession. Fast forward 250 years and Catalonia finds its language and culture oppressed by Franco's dictatorship. Once democracy was restored in Spain, Catalonia once again began to openly embrace its language and culture. At times there had been friction between the central government and Catalonia, but nothing major had occurred. But this has changed recently, particularly after the economic crisis.
Unlike the USA, where there is a state and federal tax, Spain only has one tax. All the money then gets sent to the central government which distributes it accordingly to the seventeen different autonomous communities. The money that Catalonia receives, some argue, is far less than the one it sends the central government. Those who support Catalonia's move towards independence believe the disparity is too large and unjust to bear. Therefore, there has been a move towards holding a vote to decide the continuity of Catalonia in Spain. However, central government opposes this and argues holding a referendum is prohibited by the Spanish Constitution.
The past months were filled with politicians going back and forth arguing about the legality and feasibility of holding a vote. Most recently, the Tribunal Constitucional sided with the central government acknowledging that holding a referendum would violate the Constitution. The Tribunal Supremo also got involved by striking down an appeal by the Catalonian government. All of this resulted in a much weaker election than the one sought.
Although I have only been here for seven weeks, it is hard to not see the importance of today's events on Catalonia. To put it in perspective, it would be as if California sought to secede from the union. Flags denominated as "esteladas" can be seen in the balconies of people all over town. Even if you somehow manage to avoid seeing any of the flags you cannot escape the sound of "Cacerolazos." Everyday for the past week and a half people go out into their balconies at 10 pm and bang pots, pans and other kitchen appliances as a form of protest against the central government.
Needless to say, what is currently happening Catalonia and Spain is very complex and it would be unjust for me to try and summarize the events in one blog post. As someone who is looking at this issue from the outside, I cannot adequately sum up all of the events that surround today's voting. Although the results of today's "referendum" or "consulta popular" are not binding and will not produce any direct effects on Catalonian & Spanish affairs, the implicit effects could be many. It will be interesting to see how things unfold and I encourage everyone to seek more information to become more informed.
This day will go down in history as the day when Catalonians defied the Spanish central government and casted their votes to decide their future. Some will call the voting today illegal, prohibited by the constitution and with no direct influence on Catalonia's affairs. Others will say it is democracy and self-determination that allows Catalonians to vote on their continuity in Spain. Today Catalans and foreign-residents alike casted their vote on two questions; "Should Catalonia become a State?" If yes, the voter would then answer a second question; "Should this state be independent?"
Catalonia has been part of Spain for over three hundred years following the siege of Barcelona on 11th of September of 1714 during the War of the Spanish Succession. Fast forward 250 years and Catalonia finds its language and culture oppressed by Franco's dictatorship. Once democracy was restored in Spain, Catalonia once again began to openly embrace its language and culture. At times there had been friction between the central government and Catalonia, but nothing major had occurred. But this has changed recently, particularly after the economic crisis.
Unlike the USA, where there is a state and federal tax, Spain only has one tax. All the money then gets sent to the central government which distributes it accordingly to the seventeen different autonomous communities. The money that Catalonia receives, some argue, is far less than the one it sends the central government. Those who support Catalonia's move towards independence believe the disparity is too large and unjust to bear. Therefore, there has been a move towards holding a vote to decide the continuity of Catalonia in Spain. However, central government opposes this and argues holding a referendum is prohibited by the Spanish Constitution.
The past months were filled with politicians going back and forth arguing about the legality and feasibility of holding a vote. Most recently, the Tribunal Constitucional sided with the central government acknowledging that holding a referendum would violate the Constitution. The Tribunal Supremo also got involved by striking down an appeal by the Catalonian government. All of this resulted in a much weaker election than the one sought.
Although I have only been here for seven weeks, it is hard to not see the importance of today's events on Catalonia. To put it in perspective, it would be as if California sought to secede from the union. Flags denominated as "esteladas" can be seen in the balconies of people all over town. Even if you somehow manage to avoid seeing any of the flags you cannot escape the sound of "Cacerolazos." Everyday for the past week and a half people go out into their balconies at 10 pm and bang pots, pans and other kitchen appliances as a form of protest against the central government.
Needless to say, what is currently happening Catalonia and Spain is very complex and it would be unjust for me to try and summarize the events in one blog post. As someone who is looking at this issue from the outside, I cannot adequately sum up all of the events that surround today's voting. Although the results of today's "referendum" or "consulta popular" are not binding and will not produce any direct effects on Catalonian & Spanish affairs, the implicit effects could be many. It will be interesting to see how things unfold and I encourage everyone to seek more information to become more informed.
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