Catalonia vows to split from Spain within 48 hours if voters back the idea in a referendum in October
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Catalonia has vowed to declare independence from Spain within 48 hours if a majority of voters back the move in an October referendum.
Pro secessionist parties have proposed a draft bill which will ask if locals want the wealthy region to be an independent nation. If they say no, fresh elections will be called.
Carles Puigdemont, President of the Catalan Government, told supporters whichever way the vote went nothing would be the same again:
“On October 1st there will be no train crash, there will be a train that might remain in deadlock, which is the train of the present system, of the present status quo, but there will be another train that will continue on the tracks. Even if “No” wins, nothing will be the same because things will have already changed.”
Spanish 1776: #Catalonia on Brink of Declaring Independence https://t.co/vOwclpZvhX #tcot #Spain #July4th pic.twitter.com/yaIoJtRrqX
— Kit Daniels (@KitDaniels1776) July 4, 2017
But its unclear if the vote will go ahead. Spain’s Constitutional Court has blocked previous secessionist challenges.
In 2014 Catalonia held a non-binding election on whether the Catalonia should be independent despite pressure from the national government in Madrid That time more than 80 percent voted in favour.
Tomorrow
ScotNational</a> from Yes to indy in 48 hours: Catalonia will declare its independence within two days of planned referendum <a href="https://t.co/QXR3RxXNmw">pic.twitter.com/QXR3RxXNmw</a></p>— The National (ScotNational) July 4, 2017