- Title: Catalonia announces law to formalise Oct. 1 vote on split from Spain
- Date: 6th September 2017
- Summary: BARCELONA, SPAIN (SEPTEMBER 5, 2017) (REUTERS) POLITICAL ANALYST, FERRAN REQUEJO PICKING BOOK FROM LIBRARY AT HIS HOME REQUEJO READING (SOUNDBITE) (English) POLITICAL ANALYST, FERRAN REQUEJO, SAYING: "I am convinced that Catalonia will be independent what I don't know is when. The deep question is the when question, I think the Catalonia forces, regardless the final outcome of the present moment, I think that the Catalan side has been reinforced on its position, in other words: many many Catalans have really broken their cultural and mental relationship with the Spanish State, not with Spain, not with the Spanish society but with the Spanish State." BARCELONA, SPAIN (SEPTEMBER 6, 2017) (REUTERS) PRO UNITY SUPPORTERS HOLDING BANNER READING (Catalan) "Antidemocratic scam" PROTESTERS HOLDING PLACARDS (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) PROTESTER AGAINST INDEPENDENCE, NURIA SUAREZ, SAYING: "We are here today because we believe it's vital to denounce that what's being done here is totally antidemocratic, this process is the opposite to a democratic decision process based on debate and freedom. It's a totally antidemocratic process." (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) 68-YEARS-OLD RETIRED GONZALO, SAYING: "Who wants to put an end to democracy? To vote will always be democratic. In Spain and Catalonia hundreds of people have been tortured and have died fighting for the right to vote in the 60s and 70s. Impossible to find a better example of democracy. People were tortured during Franco's regime because they demanded the right to vote." PRO INDEPENDENCE SUPPORTERS OUTSIDE PARLIAMENT EXTERIOR OF CATALONIA'S PARLIAMENT
- Embargoed: 20th September 2017 19:16
- Keywords: Catalonia Referendum Parliament Carles Puigdemont
- Location: MADRID AND BARCELONA, SPAIN
- City: MADRID AND BARCELONA, SPAIN
- Country: Spain
- Topics: Lawmaking,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0046XGL45J
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Catalonia on Wednesday (September 6) announced a law to make formal its plans for an Oct. 1 referendum on whether to declare independence from Spain, a vote the government says is illegal and has said it will stop.
Catalan lawmakers are due to vote later on Wednesday on the referendum law and the legal framework needed to set up an independent state. The laws will likely be approved because pro-independence parties have a majority in the regional parliament.
Polls in the northeastern region, whose capital is Barcelona, show support for self-rule waning as Spain's economy improves. But the majority of Catalans do want the opportunity to vote on whether to split from Spain.
The government on Wednesday said it had asked the Spanish constitutional court to declare the referendum law void as soon as it approved by the regional parliament. The Spanish constitution states that the country is indivisible. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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