The
president of the Catalonia region in Spain has signed a decree calling for an
independence referendum. Spain's central government has vowed to block the
ballot.
People hold letters forming the word
'independence' as they gather at the regional government headquarters in
support of the referendum for independence at Sant Jaume square in Barcelona,
Spain, 27 September 2014.
Catalan
President Artur Mas on Saturday signed a formal decree calling for a referendum
to be held on November 9, to ask Catalonians whether their region should break
from Spain.
The
powerful and wealthy northeastern region has a long-standing movement for independence, which has gained momentum in recent years due to Spain's
struggling economy.
However,
the Spanish government insists the planned referendum is illegal. It is
expected to call an emergency cabinet meeting in the next days to launch an
appeal to the country's constitutional court, aimed at blocking the vote.
Mas' push forward with independence plans comes just after people in Scotland voted against leaving the United Kingdom.
se/glb (AFP, Reuters, AP)
Related Articles:
Spanish court suspends Catalonia independence referendum
Spain government files appeal to top court over Catalonia referendum
Spanish court suspends Catalonia independence referendum
Spain government files appeal to top court over Catalonia referendum
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.