Spain: Catalonia Strives for Independence, Government to Fight in Court
After the autonomous Catalan government voted in favor of consultation independence from Spain, a move that would recognize and support their thriving economy, unique culture, language and history, the Spanish government has said they will fight the vote in the country's Constitutional Court.
BBC reported the day after Scotland's vote to secede from the U.K., which was watched closely and supported by the Catalans, a majority of lawmakers supported a consultation in favor of the Nov. 9 vote that would also attempt to decide the future of the Spanish region.
But whether or not the region will be allowed to vote will be heard in court on Tuesday.
Catalan President Artur Mas told BBC, "This is a powerful and strong message that the UK is sending to the entire world -- that if there is such a conflict elsewhere in the world you have the right way to try to resolve these differences. If they think in Madrid that by using legal frameworks they can stop the will of the Catalan people, they are wrong."
The federal government in Madrid said earlier in the week they would use full legal force to stop the vote but would not resort to a military presence in the area.
Spain cheered the win of the "no" vote in Scotland, and Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said, "They chose between integration and segregation, between isolation and openness, between stability and uncertainty, between security and a real risk, and they have chosen the most favourable option for everyone, for them, for the rest of the British citizens and for Europe."
While Spain is suffering economically overall, Catalonia continues to be one of the wealthiest regions.
They successfully continues to bring world fairs and expos to the region, earning the title of a global technology hub in Barcelona, in addition to being the home to the popular Spanish soccer club FC Barcelona.
Until recently, few Catalans supported independence, BBC reported. But with state of Spain's economy, more have supported the separation in order to reduce the burden on Catalonia in supporting other regions with the taxes it brings in.
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