Catalan election results put region on the road to independence

» Mark Moloney

‘The cry on the street has gone to the polls’

SEPARATIST PARTIES topped the poll in Catalonia’s regional elections at the weekend. The incoming regional government will press ahead for a referendum on independence, against the wishes of the Spanish Government in Madrid.

The conservative nationalist Convergence and Union (CiU) party topped the poll as expected, but with a reduced vote compared to 2010. The party’s support fell 8% to 30.5%, giving it 50 seats in the 135-seat parliament. The progressive Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) almost doubled its vote to 14% and gained 11 seats to take 21 in total and become the second-largest force in the parliament.

The two major pro-Spanish parties polled poorly. The Socialist Party (PSC) continued its downward spiral, losing 8 seats to come in on 20. The right-wing Spanish Popular Party (PP) of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, despite picking up one seat, came in an embarrassing fourth place on 13%, just ahead of the small left-wing Initiative for Catalonia Greens (ICV) on 10%. The other two parties to gain seats were the staunchly pro-Spanish Citizens’ Party (Cs) on 7.5% and the radical left-wing and pro-independence Popular Unity Candidates (CUP), which took three seats with 3.5% of the vote.

Speaking after the result, Catalan President and CiU leader Artur Mas said he is happy with the result but “not as happy as I could have been” and reaffirmed his commitment to holding an independence referendum within the next four years. “The cry on the street has gone to the polls,” he said, in reference to the more than 1.5million who demonstrated in support of independence at a rally in Barcelona in September.

Mas said the CiU must now work with others to bring about a referendum and called on those parties, particularly the ERC, to work with him because “we cannot do it alone”.

ERC Chairperson Oriol Junqueras, said the result “had clearly strengthened the process towards independence”. The result showed explicit support for independnece and also for those who want to see “a more just social and economic alternative”, he said.

Under the Spanish Constitution any attempt at an independence referendum is illegal and the ruling Popular Party will most likely use the courts to block plans by the regional government to hold one.

‣ See the December issue of An Phoblacht for an interview in Barcelona with Republican Left of Catalonia MP Alfred Bosch – An Phoblacht in the shops from Friday