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Catalan Vote Seen as Referendum on Secession From Spain Catalan Separatist Parties Win Narrow Majority in Regional Elections
(about 7 hours later)
BARCELONA, Spain — Catalan voters went to the polls on Sunday in a regional election billed by local governing politicians as a plebiscite on secession from the rest of Spain. BARCELONA — Catalan separatist parties won a majority of the seats on Sunday in regional parliamentary elections that they billed as a plebiscite on secession from the rest of Spain.
The push by separatist Catalan politicians has already plunged Spain and the government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy into its most serious crisis since June 2012, when Mr. Rajoy was forced to negotiate a European banking bailout in the midst of the euro debt crisis. The result is set to intensify Catalonia’s drive toward independence, despite fierce opposition from Spain’s government under Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy. The separatist leaders have vowed to form a new regional government that will lead Catalonia to statehood within 18 months.
The vote was expected to confirm separatist parties as the main political force in Catalonia. However, recent polls also suggested that the parties were set to gain a narrow majority in the next Catalan Parliament, which could then allow a new Catalan government to go ahead with a plan to set up a new state within 18 months, despite fierce opposition from Madrid. “We have a democratic mandate; we have won against all odds,” Artur Mas, the Catalan leader, told supporters in central Barcelona on Sunday night as votes were still being counted. “Just as we, as democrats, would have accepted defeat, we ask that others recognize the victory of Catalonia and the victory of the Yes” bloc for independence, he added.
The Madrid government has repeatedly warned that any breach of Spain’s Constitution would be struck down by Spanish courts and could even lead to sanctions and the suspension from office of secessionist Catalan politicians. The president of the Spanish central bank also recently said that Catalan banks would be cut off from European Central Bank funding, which has been critical for Spanish and other financial institutions that were crippled by the euro debt crisis and unchecked property lending. The warnings against Catalan secession have stretched as far as Spanish soccer authorities, who have said that F.C. Barcelona, the current European champions, would be excluded from competing in the Spanish Liga. Still, the separatist parties failed to win a majority of the votes on Sunday and face significant legal hurdles in converting their secessionist ambitions into an actual breakup of Spain. The government in Madrid has repeatedly warned that any breach of Spain’s Constitution would be struck down by the courts and could even lead to the suspension from office of Catalan secessionist politicians.
European leaders have also recently waded into the debate, aware that any unilateral split by Catalonia from the rest of Spain could send the European Union into uncharted waters, at a time when the bloc’s ability to produce a common response to a crisis has already been severely tested by a wave of refugees from Syria and other war-torn countries. A Catalan secession could also fuel the separatist claims of other European regions. Pablo Casado, spokesman for Mr. Rajoy’s Popular Party, said Sunday night at a televised news conference that “we will continue to guarantee legality and the unity of Spain.” He called on Mr. Mas to either resign or work to heal the divisions he had created within Catalonia. “Secessionism tried to split Spain but didn’t succeed, but it did manage to divide Catalonia,” Mr. Casado argued.
During a recent visit to Madrid, David Cameron, the British prime minister, suggested that Catalonia would have to reapply for European Union membership, joining the end of a list of existing candidates. Last September, Scots rejected independence in a referendum authorized by Mr. Cameron’s government. Even before Sunday’s vote, the separatist issue had already plunged Spain into its most serious crisis since June 2012, when Mr. Rajoy was forced to negotiate a European banking bailout in the midst of the euro debt crisis.
The regional parliamentary election was called by Artur Mas, leader of Catalonia’s governing party, Convergence. He presented the election as a proxy vote on independence after Convergence agreed with the other main, left-wing separatist party to run as a joint list of candidates. The secessionist drive has gained momentum in recent years, but Sunday’s vote also showed the extent to which it had deeply split Catalonia’s 7.5 million citizens. With 98 percent of the votes tallied, the separatist parties had won the most parliamentary seats and around 48 percent of the votes amid a record turnout.
The joint “Together for Yes” list was heading for a small majority of the 135 seats in the Catalan Parliament, counting also seats likely to be won by another far-left separatist party, which refused to join the common list. Under the Spanish system of proportional representation, separatists could win the most seats without having an absolute majority of votes. The standoff between Mr. Rajoy and Mr. Mas started in 2012 as a financial dispute over the tax contribution that wealthy Catalonia should make to poorer regions of Spain. Mr. Mas then turned his frustrated demand for fiscal concessions into a full-fledged drive for independence.
The Catalan election is taking place two months before a national election that could also reshape Spanish politics, as two emerging parties threaten to unseat Mr. Rajoy’s Popular Party and also break up Spain’s two-party system. While also calling on Catalans to remain within Spain, Podemos, a left-wing party, supports a referendum on Catalan independence. The main opposition Socialist party has also pledged a constitutional reform that could turn Spain into a federal country. After voting earlier on Sunday, Héctor Carnet, 35, an information technology administrator, said he would not have imagined voting for independence three years ago. “I’ve come to see that it’s better to go that way than stick with a Madrid government that hasn’t offered us any decent alternative,” he said.
With a possible year-end overhaul of the national government in mind, Mr. Mas and other separatist leaders have recently refrained from making clear if and when a new Catalan government could declare unilateral independence. But his wife, who declined to give her name, disagreed. “We need to build a stronger Europe rather than add new countries,” she said. “I don’t think it makes sense to fight for independence in the 21st century.”
On the other hand, Sunday’s vote could instead fragment further Catalonia’s Parliament and leave Mr. Mas facing strong calls for his resignation should the joint separatist list fail to win a majority. While pushing for secession, Mr. Mas and his Convergence party have also been entangled in a major fraud scandal since last year, when the party’s founder admitted to tax evasion. The regional parliamentary election was called by Mr. Mas, leader of Catalonia’s governing Convergence party. He presented it as a proxy vote on independence after Convergence agreed with the other main left-wing separatist party to run as a joint list of candidates.
The standoff between Mr. Rajoy and Mr. Mas started in 2012 with a financial dispute over the tax contribution that wealthy Catalonia should make to poorer regions of Spain. Mr. Mas then turned his frustrated demand for fiscal concessions into a full-fledged drive for independence. The joint “Together for Yes” list had won 62 of the 135 seats in the Catalan Parliament, according to the preliminary count. That will translate into a majority if the “Yes” leaders can form a coalition with a far-left separatist party known by its Catalan acronym of Cup. Cup, which won 10 seats on Sunday, has opposed Mr. Mas’s public spending cuts and accused Convergence of widespread corruption after its founder admitted tax evasion last year.
The first exit polls were set to be released at 8 p.m. local time, when stations close. Final results were expected around 10:30 p.m. The importance of Sunday’s vote was expected to lead to a record turnout in a region whose 7.5 million citizens account for 16 percent of Spain’s population and almost a fifth of its economic output. Raül Romeva, leader of the “Yes” list, told supporters on Sunday that “nobody can say that we don’t have legitimacy.”
Catalonia was at the forefront of Spain’s industrial revolution and has since remained the powerhouse of the Spanish economy, with Barcelona also the country’s main tourism hub. Catalans have their own language and cultural identity, but the region also has a significant Muslim community and about 1.4 million Catalans who were born in other parts of Spain. But it is likely to remain contentious that under the Spanish system of proportional representation, separatist parties managed to win the most seats without an absolute majority of votes. Opponents of secession argued that if separatist leaders wanted Sunday’s vote to be equated to a plebiscite, then votes counted more than parliamentary seats.
Opponents of secession have warned of significant economic problems on regional and national levels if Catalonia, which accounts for a fifth of Spain’s economic output, is allowed to break away. The president of the Spanish central bank recently said that Catalan banks would be cut off from the funding of the European Central Bank, which has been critical for Spanish and other financial institutions that were crippled by the euro debt crisis and unchecked property lending.
European leaders have also recently waded into the debate, aware that any unilateral secession by Catalonia could send the European Union into uncharted waters. The European Union’s ability to produce a common response to crises has already been severely tested recently by a wave of migrants from Syria and other Middle Eastern and African countries. A Catalan secession could also fuel the separatist claims of other European regions.
During a recent visit to Madrid, Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain suggested that if it seceded Catalonia would have to reapply for European Union membership. Last September, Scots rejected independence in a referendum authorized by Mr. Cameron’s government.
Sunday’s vote took place two months before a national election that could also fragment Spanish politics, as two emerging parties threaten to help unseat Mr. Rajoy’s Popular Party.
The left-wing party Podemos, while calling on Catalans to remain within Spain, nonetheless supports a referendum on independence. The main opposition Socialist party has also pledged a constitutional change that could turn Spain into a federation.
The Catalan version of Podemos won 11 seats on Sunday, while the Socialists came third, with 16 seats, according to preliminary results. Mr. Rajoy’s Popular Party sunk to 11 seats, down from 19 seats in 2012, allowing instead the Citizens party to become the clear leader of the anti-secession opposition in the next Catalan Parliament. The Citizens party won 25 seats on Sunday, up from nine seats in 2012.
With a possible year-end overhaul of the national government also in mind, Mr. Mas and other separatist leaders talked Sunday night about a victory for their secessionist project, but without making clear if or when a new Catalan government could declare unilateral independence.
Instead, Pedro Sánchez, leader of Spain’s main opposition Socialist party, underlined the failure of separatists to win a majority of votes and pledged to make a broader Spanish constitutional change to help re-unite the country, if the Socialists return to power in the national election.
“We have a Catalonia divided in two blocs, and the task of those who form the new government should be to heal these wounds,” Mr. Sánchez argued in a televised briefing from Madrid.