Catalonia Independence from Spain?

by Fiona Ortiz and Braden Phillips
Reuters November 25,2012

WILL THIS BE THE BEST CHOICE FOR KHMER KROM UNDER THE VIETNAM'S CONTROL?

BARCELONA—Separatists in Spain’s Catalonia won regional elections on Sunday but failed to get a resounding mandate for a referendum on independence, which had threatened to pile political uncertainty on top of Spain’s economic woes.

Catalan President Artur Mas, who has implemented unpopular spending cuts, had called an early election to test support for his new drive for independence for Catalonia, a wealthy but financially troubled region in northeastern Spain.

Voters frustrated with the economic crisis and the Spanish tax system, which they claim is unfair to Catalonia, handed almost two-thirds of the 135-seat local parliament to four different separatist parties that all want to hold a referendum on secession from Spain.

But they punished the main separatist group, Mas’s Convergence and Union alliance, or CiU, cutting back its seats to 50 from 62. That will make it difficult for Mas to lead a united drive to hold a referendum in defiance of the constitution and the central government in Madrid.

“Mas clearly made a mistake. He promoted a separatist agenda and the people have told him they want other people to carry out his agenda,” said Jose Ignacio Torreblanca, head of the European Council on Foreign Relations’ Madrid office.

The result will come as a relief for Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who is battling a deep recession, 25 per cent unemployment and high borrowing costs.

Mas, surrounded by supporters chanting “independence, independence,” said he would still try to carry out the referendum: “It is more complex, but there is no need to give up on the process.”

Resurgent Catalan separatism had become a major headache for Rajoy, threatening to provoke a constitutional crisis over the legality of a referendum just as he is trying to concentrate on a possible international bailout for Spain.

Catalonia shares some of its tax revenue with the rest of Spain and many Catalans believe their economy would prosper if they could invest more of their taxes at home. The tax issue has revived a long-dormant secessionist spirit in Catalonia.

Mas had tried to ride the separatist wave after hundreds of thousands of people demonstrated in the streets in September, demanding independence for Catalonia, which has its own language and sees itself as distinct from the rest of Spain.

In a speech to supporters on Sunday night, Mas recognized that he had lost ground, and though CiU is still the largest group in the Catalan parliament, he said he would need the support of another party to govern and to pass harsh austerity measures.

“We’ve fallen well short of the majority we had. We’ve been ruling for two years under very tough circumstances,” he said.

Catalonia’s traditional separatist party, the Republican Left, or ERC, won the second biggest presence in the Catalan parliament, with 21 seats. The Socialists took 20 seats. And Rajoy’s centre-right People’s Party won 19.

Catalonia, with 7.5 million people, is more populous than Denmark. Its economy is almost as big as Portugal’s and it generates one-fifth of Spanish gross domestic product.

Catalonia's PROFILE:
Proud of its own identity and language, Catalonia is Spain's richest and most highly industrialised region, but also one of the most independent-minded.

With a distinct history stretching back to the early middle ages, many Catalans think of themselves as a separate nation from the rest of Spain.

This feeling is fed by memories of the Franco dictatorship, which attempted to suppress Catalan identity, and is nowhere more clearly expressed than in the fierce rivalry between FC Barcelona and Real Madrid, Spain's top football clubs.

Building human towers - "castells" - is a Catalan tradition originating in the 18th century

Barcelona: Bustling port, regional capital, economic centre, popular tourist destination

Catalonia's beaches attract tourists from across Europe

A roughly triangular region in Spain's far north-east corner, Catalonia is separated by the Pyrenean mountains from southern France, with which it has close historical ties.

Most of the region's population lives in Barcelona, its vibrant political and economic hub and a popular European travel destination.

Holiday-makers also flock to the Mediterranean beaches of the Costa Brava and Costa Daurada/Dorada, and the Pyrenees are popular with hikers, making tourism an important part of Catalonia's economy.

At a glance

Politics
Catalonia's leader is pushing for a referendum on self-determination; polls show half of Catalans want to break away from Spain. Spain is divided into 17 autonomous communities, with separatist desires strongest in Catalonia and the Basque country Culture: Catalonia's laws require teachers, doctors and public sector workers to use Catalan, an official language along with Spanish Economy: Catalonia is Spain's wealthiest but most indebted region. Harsh austerity measures have boosted separatist sentiment

But it is manufacturing - traditionally textiles, but more recently overtaken in importance by the chemical industry, food-processing, metalworking - that make the region Spain's economic powerhouse, along with a growing service sector.

History
The area first emerged as a distinct entity with the rise of the County of Barcelona to pre-eminence in the 11th century. In the 12th century, the county was incorporated into the Crown of Aragon, helping it to become a major medieval sea power.

Catalonia has been part of Spain since its genesis in the 15th century, when King Ferdinand of Aragon and Queen Isabella of Castile married and united their realms.

Initially retaining its own institutions, the region was ever more tightly integrated into the Spanish state, until the 19th century ushered in a renewed sense of Catalan identity, which flowed into a campaign for political autonomy and even separatism. The period also saw an effort to revive Catalan, long in decline by then, as a language of literature.

When Spain became a republic in 1931, Catalonia was soon given broad autonomy. During the Spanish Civil War, Catalonia was a key Republican stronghold, and the fall of Barcelona to Gen Francisco Franco's right-wing forces in 1939 marked the beginning of the end of Spanish resistance to him.

Under Franco's ultra-conservative rule, autonomy was revoked, Catalan nationalism repressed and use of the Catalan language restricted.

Politics and language
The pendulum swung back with the emergence of a democratic Spain after Franco's death. Catalonia now has is its own parliament and executive - together known as the "Generalitat" in Catalan - with extensive autonomy.

Until recently, few Catalans wanted full independence, but Spain's painful economic crisis has seen a surge in support for separation. Many Catalans believe the affluent region pays more to Madrid than it gets back, and blame much of Spain's debt crisis on the central government.
In 2012, the regional government, led by moderate nationalists, promised to start preparations for a referendum on independence if re-elected. Madrid says it will not accept a pro-independence vote.

The use of Catalan - a language as close to the regional languages of southern France like Occitan as it is to Castilian (Spanish) - has equal status with Castilian and is now actively encouraged in education, official use and the media. However, Castilian predominates in Barcelona, and is still the first language of a narrow majority of Catalans, who are nearly all bilingual.

Variants are also spoken in the region of Valencia to the south, and on the Balearic islands, leading many Catalan nationalists to regard all three regions- as well as the traditionally Catalan-speaking Roussillon region of France - as forming the "Catalan Countries".