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Catalan Parliament gives green light to a popular initiative for an independence referendum

According to the new Consultation Act, the Parliament is to discuss any popular initiative which gathers signatures of at least a 3% of the Catalan population · The Board of the Catalan Parliament has given a leave for the initiative to proceed with the ‘yes’ vote of CiU, ERC and ICV-EUiA · PP and C's opposed.

Supporters of holding a referendum for the independence of Catalonia have overcome the first legal obstacle in their way after the Board of Parliament accepted for consideration the popular initiative submitted by Uriel Beltran and Alfons López Tena. Both politicians have been the public face of the Catalan consultation movement, which started off last September and is currently backing informal referendums all across Catalonia and the Balearic Islands.

The affirmative vote by CiU (Centre-right or liberal pro-autonomy party), ERC (pro-independence republican leftists) and ICV-EUiA (former Catalan communists) allowed the popular initiative to proceed to the next stage. Now the promoters will have to gather about 220,000 signatures within a period of 6 months. Then the Parliament should hold a session to discuss and vote the holding of a referendum on independence posing the following question: ‘Do you agree that the Catalan Parliament should carry out the necessary proceedings in order to comply with the popular will, so that the Catalan Nation becomes an independent, democratic and social state within the European Union?' If the Parliament approves the proposal by absolute majority then the decision will pass onto the hands of the Spanish Congress, which will refuse or consent to the plebiscite.

Use of the Consultation Act

The move is using the legal protection of the recently approved Catalan Consultation Act. The Catalan Parliament has powers to send a proposal for a referendum of independence to the Spanish Congress as long as the initiative takes the shape of a bill for a constitutional reform.

PP (Conservative Spanish unionists) and PSC (Catalan Labour with close ties with Zapatero's PSOE) have already asked the Council of Statute Rights to rule on the popular initiative, a move that could delay the process.

Photo: Parliament of Catalonia (Flickr - Montse Poch).

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