elections

The deposed Catalan president said 21 December elections are “a decisive election between democracy and imposition“ 

Application of Article 155 and forcing of early elections has had a “positive” effect on markets, according to De Guindos

Spanish parties disagree on whether Madrid should go ahead with Article 155 if Puigdemont calls an early election

Catalan Minister for Public Administration, Meritxell Borràs, assured that Catalans abroad will be able to vote electronically in the independence referendum, to take place next September. “If it is referred to in the referendum’s convening decree, the instrument will have to be there”, she said, in response to a parliamentarian question made by pro-independence radical left CUP MP, Benet Salellas. He urged the Government to make a “vehement” statement on the matter, since it has been a growing constant demand for those living abroad. During the 27-S Catalan elections in 2015, 21,771 Catalans abroad requested to vote, but only 14,781 ballots could finally be counted. Borràs considered it a “shame” and confirmed that the Government presented a bill to introduce electronic voting for Catalans abroad.

Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, has ruled out running again in the next Catalan elections. He had already stated this last January, when he took office, and he confirmed his intention during a radio interview on Thursday. “In a year from now I won’t be President”, stated Puigdemont and insisted that the Government’s plan was to launch an 18-month long term of office which will expire next summer. “We committed to calling elections six months after the referendum at the most and my task finishes with this purpose, I don’t have any vocation to be a candidate for the presidency”, he assured. Marta Pascal, general coordinator of Catalan European Democratic Party (PDeCAT), Puigdemont’s party, considered the president’s decision “coherent” and refused to open a debate on who will be PDeCAT’s candidate for this position.

85% of Catalans are in favour of a referendum on independence, according to a poll published on Sunday by the newspaper ‘El Periódico’. Of all the respondents, 49.6% approve holding a referendum without the Spanish Government’s permission and 35% make it subject to the support of the state. Only 13.8% of the respondents are totally opposed to it. Regarding the result of the vote, “yes” to Catalonia’s independence prevails with 48.9%, in comparison to 40.3% against. The media outlet published this Monday another poll in which it points out that, in case of elections in Catalonia, pro-independence forces would maintain or even increase their absolute majority in the Parliament with between 69 and 73 seats. Currently, the governing cross-party list ‘Junts pel Sí’ (JxSí) and the radical left pro-independence CUP total 72 MPs, with 68 needed for a majority.

The Public Diplomacy Council of Catalonia (Diplocat) has been invited by the Electoral Commission of the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia to observe the early parliamentary elections that will take place on Sunday. A team of eleven observers trained in international electoral observation, who are currently following the final days of the election campaign and the preparations for the vote in the regions of Skopje, the Northeast, the Southwest, and Pegalonia. On Sunday they will observe the actual vote itself, the vote count, the compiling of the results, and the final announcement of the results. This is not the first time that Catalonia’s Public Diplomacy Council sends an observation mission to another country; recently, in October, they travelled to Morocco and so far they have also been present at elections in Uruguay, Costa Rica and Armenia.

The Government’s draft budget for 2017 presented to the Parliament's President, Carme Forcadell, this Tuesday includes an allocation of €5.8 million to guarantee that the pro-independence referendum scheduled for September will be carried out. In particular, the bill establishes €5 million for electoral processes and €0.8 million for participation. Moreover, the budget also includes hidden allocations which would allow the referendum to take place despite the inevitable suspension of the Spanish Constitutional Court (TC). In 2014, the budget also allocated €6 million oriented toward holding the 9-N symbolic vote in independence. At that time, the allocation was included within the Public Administrations department. However, this time the allocation would be an explicit competence of the Catalan Ministry for Economy and Tax Office. 

If new elections were to be called in Catalonia today, the winner would be governing cross-party pro-independence ‘Junts Pel Sí’, which would still have between 60 and 62 seats in the 135-seat Parliament. Spanish Unionist ‘Ciutadans’, which is currently the main party in the opposition with 25 MPs would get between 15 and 21 seats. The highest increase according to a poll released this Friday would be for alternative left alliance ‘Catalunya Sí que es Pot’ (CSQP) which would get 19-20 MPs compared to the 11 seats it currently has in the Chamber. On the other hand, radical left pro-independence CUP would drop from 10 seats to 6-8. Regarding pro-independence support amongst Catalans, the poll shows a return to the tie situation which has been the most common result of the polls. Thus, 44.9% of Catalans would support independence, while 45.1% would vote against it.

The Committee on Petitions of the European Parliament requested the Spanish Government to review the voting system for residents abroad. It considers the current system to imply “difficulties” and believes that it “can be improved”. The vice-president of the committee, the Conservative People’s Party MEP from the Balearic Islands Rosa Estaràs, announced that the complaint of two young Spanish people that had difficulty voting in the general elections of 2011 and in the European elections of 2014 will continue to be investigated, while awaiting explanations from the Spanish Government. In addition, the European Parliament will send a letter to the Spanish Parliament and are confident that the case will be tackled by the Foreign Affairs Committee and the European Commission.

The Catalan Chamber passed on Thursday the pro-independence forces’ agreed proposal to call a vote on independence in Catalonia by September 2017. Governing cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’, radical left CUP and alternative left alliance ‘Catalunya Sí que es Pot’ allowed the bill to go through. According to the bill, the referendum has to be “binding” and based on a “clear” question and a “binary” answer. In the event that ‘yes’ to independence wins, the bill foresees calling constitutive elections in March 2018. The document also establishes that “lack of agreement with the Spanish State” is not a reason for the referendum to be rejected. The Parliament also passed the ‘Catalunya Sí que es Pot proposal to hold a referendum “with real political and legal effects” and launch the necessary initiatives “before the Spanish State”. Spanish Unionist ‘Ciutadans’, the Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) and the Conservative People’s Party (PP), refused to vote, considering the proposals to have emerged from resolutions which have been suspended by the Spanish Constitutional Court (TC).

This Thursday is the first anniversary of the Catalan Elections of the 27th of September 2015, which led to the first pro-independence majority in the Parliament. Cross-party list ‘Junts Pel Sí’, which gathered together representatives from civil society and politicians such as left wing ERC’s leader, Oriol Junqueras, former MEP Raül Romeva and former President Mas, amongst others, won the elections, obtaining 62 MPs in the 135-seat Catalan Chamber. However, they didn’t obtain an absolute majority and negotiated with radical left pro-independence CUP, who got 10 MPs, in order to have a majority in favour of independence in the Catalan Chamber. After Mas failed twice to be invested as President, since CUP repeatedly refused to support him, former Mayor of Girona and President of the Association of Municipalities for Independence (AMI), Carles Puigdemont, emerged as the candidate of consensus. Then, a term of office defined as ‘exceptional’ started, with the aim of launching a pro-independence roadmap and putting in place the basis for the future Catalan Republic.

Catalan President, Carles Puigdemont, will call the Spanish Government to hold a binding referendum in Catalonia. He will do so on the 28th of September, coinciding with the vote of confidence to which he will submit in the Parliament. Puigdemont confirmed this this Sunday in a press conference before the international press. He also predicted that there will be constitutive elections in Catalonia within a year’s time, according to the pro-independence roadmap. Puigdemont also commented on Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs’ statement comparing Catalonia’s pro-independence process “defiance” to a terrorist attack. According to the Catalan President, José Manuel García Margalló’s words were not only “inopportune” but “harmful to victims of terrorism”.

Catalan Government Spokeswoman, Neus Munté stressed the need for the Spanish parties to reach an agreement to guarantee the governability of the State and added that it would be “terrible” to call for General Elections again. Munté stated that the Spanish Government has been “inactive” for many months and warned that not taking decisions has consequences for all citizens. Munté’s statements come on the same day that current Spanish President, Mariano Rajoy, started his round of talks after the 26-J Spanish Elections. This Tuesday he met with Spanish Unionist ‘Ciutadans’, which came fourth in the last Elections and alternative left coalition ‘Unidos Podemos’, who were the third force in the Spanish Parliament.  

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.