Registration / Login
text version
War and Peace

 Hot news

Main page » News » View
Printable version
Spain rejects Catalan self-determination after vote
12.11.14 13:56 European trends

MADRID: Spains government on Tuesday (Nov 11) rejected Catalonias calls for self-determination after more than two million people took part in a symbolic vote on independence for the region.

Catalonias leader reached out to Madrid for talks on a "definitive" and binding vote, but the national government, which had tried to ban Sundays ballot, dug in its heels.

"The right to self-determination ... is not possible, neither under our constitution nor in any of the other democracies around us," Deputy Prime Minister Soraya Saenz de Santamaria told parliament.

Demands for greater autonomy for the rich northeastern region have grown over recent years, fanned by Madrids resistance and the recent economic crisis. Catalonia accounts for a fifth of Spains economy but also about six per cent of its debts, according to official figures.

Mas said he had written to Rajoy on Tuesday inviting him "to set the conditions for a dialogue that is permanent and as constructive as possible". The ultimate aim is to hold "a definitive and politically binding consultation" vote, Mas added. "The issue we are faced with can only be resolved at the top political level."

Spains Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy fiercely opposed Sundays symbolic vote and has not reacted since the polls on Sunday, in which 1.86 million people voted for independence.

CYBER ATTACK DURING INDEPENDENCE VOTE

Mas had hoped the vote would strengthen his hand in trying to force concessions from Rajoy, who has vowed to defend the unity of Spain as it recovers from recession.

But Madrid showed little sign of giving ground on Tuesday, with some members of the ruling Popular Party wanting to go after Mas in the courts.

"If what you want is independence for Catalonia, it will be difficult for us to come to an agreement," Saenz told the upper house Senate. "Neither this party nor this government will vote for an agreement on secession."

Mas said he would hold talks over the coming weeks with Catalan political parties that support the right to vote on independence, to plan his next steps. State prosecutors are meanwhile investigating whether Catalan authorities breached court injunctions by opening polling stations in public buildings.

Mas had originally planned to hold an official yet non-binding vote on independence, inspired by the referendum held in Scotland in September. The Scottish ballot was authorised by Britain and resulted in a "No" vote.

Mas regional government said on Monday that 2.3 million people took part in the vote, despite legal challenges and objections from the central government.

Anti-independence parties boycotted the referendum, saying the results would be skewed in favour of a break from Spain. It was organised by pro-independence volunteers. There was no official electoral roll but the regional government said 5.4 million of Catalonias 7.5 million residents were eligible to vote.

Mas said on Tuesday that Catalan authorities suffered a massive cyber attack before and during the vote. Hits on his governments computer systems multiplied 20,000 times on Saturday and 60,000 on Sunday in "hard, organised cybernetic attacks", Mas told reporters.

"We suspect that it could not just be a few amateur hackers or Twitter users who organised such a thing," he said. "We are examining another possibility."

 

Ðóññêèé
Archive
Forum

 Exclusiveread more rss

» Destruction of Ukraine’s Central Bank
» The World files their 27 Grievances against the United States of America.
» Yom Kippur War Redux – Petrol D0llar’s Last Hurrah
» How the Alchemists saved the Planet in 2019
» What will the US Treaty of Paris look like?
» Addition by Subtraction, (x, y)↦x−y
» Too Little, Too Late, will there be a Romanov ending for the Sudairi Seven?
» Week 21: When economic arguments end, the arms race begins

 Newsread more rss

» Afghan Taliban leader accuses U.S. of creating doubts over pact
» Kyrgyz President Accuses Atambayev of Violating Constitution by Resisting Detention
» Chinese foreign ministry slams U.S. interference in Venezuela
» With an eye on Russia, China and a horse, Pentagon chief visits Mongolia
» Pentagon Claims Iran Uses GPS Jamming in the Gulf So It Can Lure and Seize Foreign Ships
» USAF X-37B Military Space Planes Mystery Mission Circling Earth Hits 700 Days
» China destabilizing Indo-Pacific: U.S. Defense Secretary
» EU must change its negotiating terms for Brexit, says Barclay

 Reportsread more rss

» A Brief History of the CIA’s Dirty War in South Sudan
» US GDP report: Keynes on steroids
» Are Russia and the US Finally on the Same Page in Afghanistan?
» The IMF Takeover of Pakistan
» Voices from Syria’s Rukban Refugee Camp Belie Corporate Media Reporting
» Report Shows Corporations and Bolsonaro Teaming Up to Destroy the Amazon
» Ukraine: the presidents change, but the oligarchical system remains the same
» The Cowardice of Aung San Suu Kyi

 Commentariesread more rss

» The Biggest Threat to the US Indo-Pacific Strategy? Washington Itself.
» Ukraine on the cusp of change
» India’s Looming Agricultural Crisis: A Unique Chance to Change the System?
» The Saker interviews Stephen Karganovic
» Media and Politicians Ignore Oncoming Financial Crisis
» In an astonishing turn, George Soros and Charles Koch team up to end US ‘forever war’ policy
» Vladimir Putin says liberalism has ‘become obsolete’
» You Are Fighting In The Most Important Battle Of All Time

 Analysisread more rss

» A battle for supremacy between China and the US
» UAE Withdrawal from Yemen
» US, Pakistan move in tandem to end Afghan war
» Is Baoshang Bank China’s Lehman Brothers?
» From the Green Revolution to GMOs: Toxic Agriculture Is the Problem Not the Solution
» OPEC+ oil supply cuts signal smooth Gulf sailing
» G20 Osaka: the end of American leadership?
» Trump’s Brilliant Strategy to Dismember U.S. Dollar Hegemony
 
text version The site was founded by Natalia Laval in 2006 © 2006-2024 Inca Group "War and Peace"