Catalonia seeks right to vote for independence

Catalonia's lawmakers voted Thursday to demand the right to hold a referendum on declaring independence from Spain, flying in the face of outright opposition in Madrid. Catalan political chief Artur Mas's ruling coalition and a majority of other parties in the northeastern Spanish region are calling for a November 9, 2014 referendum that would ask voters two questions: - "Do you think that Catalonia should be a State, yes or no?" - "If yes, do you want that State to be independent, yes or no?" Many Catalans point to Scotland, whose leaders have called a referendum for September on independence from Britain -- a move authorised by the British government. With 87 votes in favour, 43 against, and three abstentions, Catalan lawmakers agreed to submit a proposed law to the Spanish national parliament in Madrid, which would delegate to their region "the capacity to authorise, convoke and organise a referendum on the political future of Catalonia". The proposal appears doomed from the start, however, given that a Catalan independence referendum is opposed by Spain's two largest national parties: the ruling conservative Popular Party and the main opposition Socialist Party. Three members of the Catalan Socialist Party broke ranks with their national party in the latest vote, casting ballots in favour of the proposal. Another Catalan Socialist lawmaker gave up his seat on the eve of the vote so as to avoid having to cast a 'no' vote in line with his party's policy. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy last month vowed to block the proposed referendum. "It is unconstitutional and it will not take place," Rajoy told a news conference just hours after the plan was unveiled. "This initiative collides head-on with the foundation of the constitution which is the indissoluble unity of the Spanish nation," the premier said. Rajoy has argued that Catalonia cannot hold a referendum like Scotland because Spain, unlike Britain, has a written constitution that rules out such a move. Proud of their distinct language and culture and fed up after five years of stop-start recession, many of the 7.5 million people in Catalonia want to redraw the map of Spain, saying they feel short-changed by the central government which redistributes their taxes. Catalonia accounts for one-fifth of Spain's total output and an even greater share of its exports. A recent poll by the Catalonia Centre for Opinion Studies showed that those favouring greater autonomy or outright independence far outweighed those who wanted to stick with Spain. On September 11 last year, Catalonia's national day, hundreds of thousands of Catalans massed in a vast human chain stretching across the region to demand independence. The national day recalls the conquest of Barcelona by Spanish king Philip V's forces in 1714. Spain's regions gained a large degree of autonomy, including responsibility for health and education, after the 1975 death of General Francisco Franco, who had centralised power in Madrid. Catalonia was there at the symbolic birth of Spain when Queen Isabella of Castile and King Ferdinand of Aragon, a region that included Catalonia, married in 1469.