election, a local official says, in an apparent open challenge to the
government in Madrid. The north-western region has taken "a road of no
return" toward independence, Catalonia spokesman Francesc Homs said.
The possible mechanisms to achieve it included a referendum or a
unilateral proclamation of independence by the regional parliament
after the election, he said. "The process that is being opened is not
for the impatient," he said.
Madrid has refused even to grant greater financial powers to
Catalonia, which already enjoys a large degree of autonomy. Homs made
the comments after Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, in a meeting
with Catalan premier Artur Mas on Thursday, refused a request for the
region to handle its own taxes.
The meeting was followed by widespread speculation that Mas could call
early elections in the autumn, two years ahead of schedule. Alicia
Sanchez-Camacho, the Catalan representative of Rajoy's conservative
People's Party, warned Mas that calling elections which acted as a
vote on independence would be illegal.
Spain's deep economic crisis has fuelled separatism in the formerly
affluent region, where many of its 7.5 million residents believe they
would be better off without transferring part of its tax revenue to
the country's poorer regions. Hundreds of thousands of people recently
attended a pro-independence rally backed by the regional government.
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/breaking-news/spains-catalonia-may-declare-independence/story-fn3dxix6-1226479251259
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