Politics

Radical left pro-independence CUP have formally asked Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, to convene a summit at Catalan Government headquarters in order to agree on the terms of a unilateral referendum on independence. This is CUP’s preferred formula, since in view of the last Spanish Election results, they consider ultimately holding a referendum in Catalonia agreed with the Spanish State to be no longer possible. CUP has suggested inviting to this summit all groups which are for holding a referendum, meaning pro-independence cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’, alternative left alliance ‘Catalunya Sí que es Pot’ and also alternative left ‘En Comú Podem’, which is not represented in the Catalan Parliament but won the recent Spanish Elections in Catalonia. According to CUP, the unilateral referendum on independence should be “binding” and take place within a year.

The magistrates at the Spanish Constitutional Court (TC) lifted the cautionary suspension against the functions and structure of the Catalan Ministry for Foreign Affairs, which they dictated five months ago. However, they have kept the suspension on the Ministry’s name. While they considered that the functions and structure of the department match the Catalan Government’s competences, as far as they are limited to “foreign projection” they still believe that the denomination of the ‘Catalan Ministry for Foreign Affairs’ could represent an invasion of the Spanish State’s competences on this matter. 

Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, called for “leaving” Spain “as soon as possible” and stated that Catalans “not only have to make a change of state but also a change of era” since what is currently going on in Spain “is proper of another era, one in black and white”. Puigdemont accused current Spanish Minister for Home Affairs, Jorge Fernández Díaz, who is involved in a smear scandal against two Catalan pro-independence parties, of being “anti-system” and called for “leaving” Spain “as soon as possible”. “We can’t stay any longer in such a state” stated Puigdemont. “As a helpless democrat from Madrid who couldn’t change things once said: “Basques and Catalans, run away”. 

Director of Catalonia’s Anti-fraud Office, Daniel de Alfonso has been dismissed by the Catalan Chamber. All the groups in the Parliament, except for the Conservative People’s Party (PP) considered de Alfonso unfit to continue with his duties after several tapes published last week by Spanish newspaper ‘Público’ revealed conversations between him and current Spanish Minister for Home Affairs, Jorge Fernández Díaz, where they both plotted to accuse and discredit Catalonia’s main pro-independence parties, left-wing ERC and Liberal Convergència. This Wednesday, pro-independence cross-party ‘Junts Pel Sí’s spokeswoman, Marta Rovira, accused de Alfonso of “obvious and severe negligence” of his duties and lamented the “political and partisan use” he made out of the Anti-fraud Office. 

Judge Joan Manel de Abril has refused the appeal which called for the closing of the file on former Catalan President, Artur Mas, former Catalan Vice President, Joana Ortega, and former Minister for Education, Irene Rigau, who were summonsed for having organised the non-binding and symbolic vote on independence that took place on the 9^th of November 2014. Thus, the case will proceed and the accused will be taken before the court for alleged disobedience and perversion of justice. Pro-independence parties ‘Junts Pel Sí’ and radical left CUP showed their support to the summonsed and admitted to being “outraged” by the judge’s decision. On the other hand, Conservative People’s Party (PP) MP, Xavier García Albiol admitted to being “happy” and accused Mas of being “cocky”.

Current Spanish President, Mariano Rajoy, stated that he “won’t renounce his right to rule” after his party, the Conservative People’s Party (PP) emerged victorious with 135 MPs from the Spanish Elections but without an absolute majority. Rajoy’s first choice is to reach an agreement with the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) and Spanish Unionist ‘Ciutadans’ but admitted that “if this would not be possible” he is open to governing in minority with occasional support from these forces. He also opened the door to possible agreements with ‘Ciutadans’, the Basque Nationalist Party (PNB) and the Canarian Coalition (CC), which would give them 175 MPs, only one seat away from the absolute majority in the 350-seat Spanish Parliament. According to Rajoy’s agenda, “it will be essential” to reach an agreement within a month.

Alternative left alliance ‘En Comú Podem’, which won the Spanish Elections in Catalonia this Sunday, aims to be in the opposition in the Spanish Parliament and dismissed the possibility of holding new elections in Spain. The results in the whole of Spain, where the Conservative People’s Party won and obtained 135 MPs in the 350-seat Spanish Parliament, will probably force the parties to reach agreements in order to form government. ‘En Comú Podem’s leader, Xavier Domènech doubted whether Spain could form a “government of change” between the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE) and Alternative left ‘Podemos’, as he considers the other required parties, pro-independence left-wing ERC, Liberal Convergència and the Basque National Party, PNB, to be “not very likely to get involved” and ultimately join this alliance. 

The Spanish Elections prove that Spain remains unchangeable, according to Catalonia’s pro-independence parties. “The only change possible is through building an independent and republican Catalonia”, stated Catalan Vice President and pro-independence ERC’s leader, Oriol Junqueras, in reference to alternative left ‘En Comú Podem’, who have repeatedly insisted on holding a referendum on independence agreed with Spain. In this vein, Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont noted that the possibility of ultimately holding a referendum “is not in good health” and lamented that “nothing has changed” in Spain. On the other hand, the leader of the PP and current Spanish President, Mariano Rajoy, celebrated his victory in Madrid and assured that his party “will defend all Spaniards”. The Conservative leader pointed out that “democrats and freedom” have won the election.

Alternative left coalition ‘En Comú Podem’ has won the 2016 Spanish Elections in Catalonia. The party, which has Barcelona mayor Ada Colau as its strongest asset, obtained 12 MPs, the same number of MPs as in the last Spanish Elections, held in December 2015. Pro-independence left-wing ERC also repeated the same results as 2015, with 9 seats and CDC, which ran under the name ‘Democràcia i Llibertat’ in the last Spanish Elections, also got the same result and obtained 8 MPs. The Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) added one seat to their 7 existing seats in the Spanish Parliament, the Conservative People’s Party (PP) got 6 MPs, one more than in the last Elections, and Spanish Unionist Ciutadans was the only party to lose a seat and has now 4 MPs. In the whole of Spain PP again won the elections and improved their results, with 137 MPs, 14 more than in December 2015. Thus, the political panorama in Catalonia and Spain remains the same as after the last Spanish Elections.

Alternative left coalition ‘En Comú Podem’ would win the Spanish Elections in Catalonia, as happened in December 2015, and would obtain between 14 and 16 representatives in the 350-seat Spanish Parliament, according to exit polls released by Catalan Television TV3 at 20.00 CET. This result would mean between two and four MPs more than in the last Election. Left-wing pro-independence ERC would come second and get between 11 and 12 MPs, in comparison to the 9 that they secured in December, followed by the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) which would obtain 7 MPs, the same figure they got in the last Spanish Elections. Liberal Convergència would get 5 MPs, three less than in December, the Conservative People’s Party (PP) would get between 4 and 5 seats, the same or even one less than in 2015, and Spanish Unionist ‘Ciutadans’ would obtain 4 MPs in the Spanish Parliament, one less than in 2015.

The participation rate in Catalonia by 18.00 (CET) was 46.2%, a figure considerably lower than that of the last General Elections, in December 2015, when 56.6% had already voted by this time. Indeed, Catalonia is the Autonomous Community which registers the biggest decline in the participation so far. In the whole of Spain, the participation rate has also decreased but less than in Catalonia: 50.57% have already voted by 6pm, which is 7 points lower than by the same time last year. The polling stations opened at 9.00 (CET) and the citizens will be able to cast their vote until 20.00 (CET).

32.2% Catalan citizens have already voted in the Spanish Elections. The participation rate in Catalonia is slightly lower than that of the last General Elections, in 2015, when 35.2% had already voted by 14.00 (CET). The region with the highest rate of participation so far is Tarragona, with 32.8%, followed by Barcelona with 32.6%, Girona with 31.4% and Lleida with 29%. In the whole of Spain, 37% of the 36,518,100 million Spanish citizens entitled to vote have already done so, a similar figure to that of the last Spanish Elections. Election Day has started without any remarkable incidents and the polling stations, more than 57,000, have been set up as normal.

Spaniards go to polls again this Sunday, after a ballot on the 20th of December 2015 resulted in a fragmented parliament where no party had the 176 seats required to form a government. This election may mark the end of the two-party system comprised of the Conservative People’s Party, PP, and the Spanish Socialist Party, PSOE, which have alternated in the Spanish government since 1982. Two new parties burst in the last Spanish Elections are set to have a key role to reach agreements and form a new government: Spanish Unionist ‘Ciutadans’ and alternative left ‘Podemos’. According to most polls, governing PP is set to win the elections but without majority, as it happened in December, when they got 123 MPs in the 350-seat Spanish Parliament. PSOE suffered a huge decline and obtained 90 seats. 'Podemos' was third force with 68 seats and 'Ciutadans' obtained 40 MPs.

Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont stated this Friday that Scotland will have “clear options” to win a second referendum on independence, as some Scottish who voted ‘no’ to independence in 2014 were afraid of being out of the EU if they separated from the United Kingdom. Now that the United Kingdom has voted for ‘Brexit’, this threat no longer exists. “Today they lost both; independence and remaining within the EU”, said Puigdemont, and assured that this should be something “to think about”. The possibility of holding a new consultation over independence in Scotland emerged this Friday, after Scotland’s First Minister, Nicola Sturgeon, admitted that a second referendum was “highly likely” to be held after the Scots voted to remain in the EU this Thursday in the EU referendum whereas the UK overall chose to leave.

Liberal Convergència (CDC), run for the last Spanish Elections under the name ‘Democràcia i Llibertat’ (‘Democracy and Freedom’) and secured 8 MPs in the 350-seat Spanish Parliament. Thisat was the first time that CDC raun for the Spanish Elections without Christian Democrat ‘Unió’, after their 40 years-long coalition split up over differences on Catalonia’s pro-independence process. This time around, Convergència has decided to run under theirhis original name and present themselves as a guarantor that Catalonia’s push for independence staysed “united” and “strong”.  “Our trajectory supports us”, stated  CDC’s candidate for the Spanish Elections, former Catalan Government’s spokesman Frances Homs, ion an article published by CNA.