Spain has entered unchartered political waters after the restive region of Catalonia declared independence prior to the central government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, utilising powers granted to it under Article 155 of the nation’s Constitution, suspended the Catalan regional assembly. On October 1, the separatists held an illegal referendum on independence that was backed by more than 90 per cent of the 2.24 million in the region who cast their votes.
The referendum process itself was deeply flawed, having been declared illegal by Spain’s Constitutional Court and the Catalan High Court before voting day, and the Rajoy government used every avenue available to disrupt the vote. Undeterred by the prospect of fines and imprisonment, voters overwhelmingly opted for declaring the region around Spain’s second-largest city as independent. Over the past month, and against a backdrop of deteriorating relationships between the Madrid and Catalan governments, the separatists held back declaring independence until Friday afternoon, and then voted 70 to 10 in favour of the declaration when it became clear that the Madrid government, with the backing of both houses and the tacit support of King Felipe VI, was going to suspend the Catalan regional assembly and rule it from the capital.
Despite having held two referendums on independence over the past three years, and with large majorities in favour on both occasions, the reality is that the separatists possess mandates that are illegal and deeply flawed. Prior to the most recent illegal referendum, there was no campaign for staying in Spain, and the vote was ignored or boycotted by those against the proposed split.
Spain is made up of 17 different regions, each with a distinctive heritage and linguistic nuances, and there is no process, legal or otherwise, for any of those regions to go their own way. Pursuing independence or using the results of these plebiscites to break up Spain is not realistic and simply smacks of political opportunism. Spain is not divisible, and while the Catalonians might bask in their declaration, it is not recognised, has no legitimacy, and is simply a desperate move by those who have a political agenda that suits their own ends.
These are indeed worrying times, but there is a way forward. Both sides need to work out a political process that may result in greater powers for the region — but only within Spain. And fresh regional elections need to be held in the spring, with every voter casting ballots to ensure a new Catalan assembly is fully representative of all Spaniards.