Spain: Parliament Rejects Referendum on Independence for Catalonia
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Version 0 of 1. Parliament overwhelmingly rejected a petition on Tuesday by the powerful Catalonia region to allow an independence referendum, a decision that is likely to increase the divide between both sides. The request was voted down, 299 to 47, after nearly seven hours of debate. Catalonia’s pro-independence sentiment has exploded recently amid objections over how the region is treated by the central government. But many lawmakers say that Catalonians alone cannot decide something that affects all of Spain, and Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said that such a vote would be unconstitutional. |