Independence supporters from Catalonia and the Basque country raise their regional flags in Pamplona, northern Spain, yesterday.
More than a million Catalans turned out yesterday to participate in a symbolic referendum on whether the wealthy region should break away from Spain - despite opposition from Madrid. The "consultation of citizens" follows a legal block by the central government against a more formal, albeit still non-binding, ballot that regional leaders had been pushing for.
The Catalan government said that more than 1.1 million of the 5.4 million eligible voters had voted by 1pm local time at polling stations manned by more than 40,000 volunteers. Voters of all ages were seen lining up to vote, some applauding and carrying Catalan flags. Results are expected this morning. "Despite the enormous impediments, we have been able to get out the ballot boxes and vote," regional president Artur Mas said after voting at a school in Barcelona where the atmosphere was described as festive.
He also called for a "definitive referendum" on independence, adding: "We deserve the right to vote ... and this is something that maybe is understood in Madrid, but if it is not ... our will is to go on with this process." The ballot asks voters two questions: should Catalonia be a state, and if so, should it be independent? Polls show that the majority of Catalonia's 7.5 million inhabitants want an official vote on independence, while around half support breaking centuries-old ties with Spain.
"If they don't understand us, they should respect us and each of us go on their separate way," said Angels Costa, a 52-year-old shopkeeper as she waited in a short queue to vote in Barcelona. We would have liked to have been a federal state but that is no longer possible. They've trampled on us too much." Pro-secession politicians hope a high level of support will prompt the central government to sit down with them and negotiate more tax and political autonomy, or even convince Madrid to accept a full-blown independence referendum in the future.
Officials from Catalonia's two main parties, including the centre-right Convergencia i Union (CiU), have suggested that backing from more than 1.5 million citizens would help build momentum for their cause. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who has vowed to defend the unity of Spain as it recovers from recession, said the vote "will not have any effect". A long-standing breakaway movement in Catalonia, which accounts for one-fifth of Spain's economic output and has its own distinct culture and language, grew in strength during the recent years of deep recession.
In early September - buoyed by a Scottish independence campaign which ultimately lost out in a referendum - hundreds of thousands of Catalans packed the streets of Barcelona, forming a huge "V" to demand the right to vote. Analysts say the poll results should be viewed cautiously, with mostly independence supporters expected to take part, and opponents likely to shun it. "While we expect the vote to have a symbolic impact, it will not carry significant political implications," Antonio Roldan, Europe analyst at the Eurasia Group consultancy said.
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Catalan hopes high in symbolic vote.
More than a million Catalans turned out yesterday to participate in a symbolic referendum on whether the wealthy region should break away from Spain - despite opposition from Madrid. The "consultation of citizens" follows a legal block by the central government against a more formal, albeit still non-binding, ballot that regional leaders had been pushing for.
The Catalan government said that more than 1.1 million of the 5.4 million eligible voters had voted by 1pm local time at polling stations manned by more than 40,000 volunteers. Voters of all ages were seen lining up to vote, some applauding and carrying Catalan flags. Results are expected this morning. "Despite the enormous impediments, we have been able to get out the ballot boxes and vote," regional president Artur Mas said after voting at a school in Barcelona where the atmosphere was described as festive.
He also called for a "definitive referendum" on independence, adding: "We deserve the right to vote ... and this is something that maybe is understood in Madrid, but if it is not ... our will is to go on with this process." The ballot asks voters two questions: should Catalonia be a state, and if so, should it be independent? Polls show that the majority of Catalonia's 7.5 million inhabitants want an official vote on independence, while around half support breaking centuries-old ties with Spain.
"If they don't understand us, they should respect us and each of us go on their separate way," said Angels Costa, a 52-year-old shopkeeper as she waited in a short queue to vote in Barcelona. We would have liked to have been a federal state but that is no longer possible. They've trampled on us too much." Pro-secession politicians hope a high level of support will prompt the central government to sit down with them and negotiate more tax and political autonomy, or even convince Madrid to accept a full-blown independence referendum in the future.
Officials from Catalonia's two main parties, including the centre-right Convergencia i Union (CiU), have suggested that backing from more than 1.5 million citizens would help build momentum for their cause. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who has vowed to defend the unity of Spain as it recovers from recession, said the vote "will not have any effect". A long-standing breakaway movement in Catalonia, which accounts for one-fifth of Spain's economic output and has its own distinct culture and language, grew in strength during the recent years of deep recession.
In early September - buoyed by a Scottish independence campaign which ultimately lost out in a referendum - hundreds of thousands of Catalans packed the streets of Barcelona, forming a huge "V" to demand the right to vote. Analysts say the poll results should be viewed cautiously, with mostly independence supporters expected to take part, and opponents likely to shun it. "While we expect the vote to have a symbolic impact, it will not carry significant political implications," Antonio Roldan, Europe analyst at the Eurasia Group consultancy said.
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as Catalan hopes high in symbolic vote.
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