Mark Linnhoefer – The main Catalan secessionist movements – Junts pel Si and left-wing CUP – are set to gain a total of about 50% of votes during the September 27th elections, which Catalan president Artur Mas dubbed a ‘proxy vote’ on Catalan independence after Madrid has stopped a referendum on the issue last year.
Catalonia is the wealthiest part of Spain and it citizens feel that they’re suffering for the rest of the economically fragile nation, which is why they’re calling for independence.
According to Mas, at least 68 of the 135 seats in parliament would have to be taken by secessionists in order to start implementing measures that would allow for a secession within the next 18 months. The largest pro-independence party, Junts pel Si, would not reach this number on its own with an estimated gain of 61-67 seats during the election. If, however, the votes for the left-wing CUP party are added to that, a total of about 70 seats could be reached, which would give the secessionist movement the leverage to monumentally advance their cause.
Madrid, Spanish banks and corporations are all warning that a secession would have earth-shattering economic and political consequences for Catalonia that should not be neglected when making the decision. Company owners are urging employees to not vote for the pro-independence party as it would be bad for business and major Spanish banks are prophesizing heavy financial instability in the Catalan region should a split occur.
The Spanish government has furthermore announced on Sunday that the FC Barcelona would no longer be allowed to play in the Spanish league if a secession occurs.
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