A new poll by the Centre of Opinion Studies shows that, for the first time in history, Catalans prefer independence to any other political arrangement with Spain.
Rasquera, with less than one-thousand residents and located in southern Catalonia, approved on April 10th planting cannabis as part of their local economic reactivation plan through a citizen vote. The day after, Rasquera’s Mayor announced he will resign as his proposal did not reach 75% of the popular support. However, he said the plan will carry on. The Catalan Minister for Home Affairs affirmed that the police will report to the public attorney on any cannabis plantation, since they continue being illegal despite Rasquera’s vote. The Spanish Justice Minister thought that the initiative could have “more negative consequences in the long run” than “positive in the short term”.
However, if the question is open to other options, 33% would prefer a Catalan State within a Federal Spain, 31.8% the current situation as an Autonomous Community and 25.5% want Catalonia to be an independent nation. The poll results also show that 75.5% of Catalans want the Catalan Government to raise all the taxes, while only 18.2% prefer the current system through which the Spanish Government raises the main taxes. The poll was compiled by the Catalan Polling Centre (CEO), which is managed by the Catalan Government.
The Catalan Parliament rejected a law proposal on Catalonia’s independence three days after the popular consultation process on the issue ended with a clear “yes”. This civil society voting was not an official referendum and it was not organised by public powers. It took place over the course of 18 months, and Barcelona closed the process on Sunday. 21% of the electoral census turned out (885.000 citizens) and 90% of the voters backed Catalonia’s independence from Spain. Members of the Catalan Government cast their vote, including the President.
If South Sudan citizens finally vote for independence, the Spanish Government will respect it and recognise their independence. However, the Spanish Minister for Foreign Affairs, Trinidad Jiménez, announced that Spain would not review its stance on Kosovo. The Balkan country declared its independence from Serbia in 2008 but Spain is one of the 5 EU Member States that still refuses to recognise it.
The proposal expresses MP's concerns that Catalan democratic will has been over-ruled by the Spanish Constitutional Court and says that Catalonia should have the right to decide its own future.