Spain in CRISIS as Catalonia says it will declare independence WITHOUT referendum
CATALONIA’s government has reportedly drafted a secret independence bill to break away from Spain, regardless of whether or not the country holds a referendum.
By SOFIA PETKAR AND MARIA ORTEGA
Express.co.uk
Mon, May 22, 2017
The pro-independence Catalan government, known as the Generalitat, is currently locked in a battle with Madrid over its demands for an independence vote.
According to reports in Spain’s El Pais, the Generalitat’s bill indicates its intention to move towards independence even if the Spanish government forbids it from holding a referendum.
Catalan’s ruling coalition promised a vote on the matter would be held no later than September this year.
Similar to Scotland’s independence referendum ballot, the ballot paper would hold just one question: “Should Catalonia be an independent state from Spain?”.
Reports suggest there will be no minimum participation threshold, and the result would be binding, coming into force within 48 hours after adoption.
According to El Pais, the document defines the status of the Catalan citizens, the procedure of obtaining citizenship, as well as which Spanish laws would remain in force after the region’s secession.
The draft suggests Catalan citizenship would be granted to every Spanish citizen residing in a Catalan municipality for at least one year, or can prove a minimum of two continuous years of residency in the region in the past.
In both cases, the applicant will not have to relinquish their Spanish citizenship.
The Catalan draft law also envisages establishing a republic, taking immediate control of the judiciary in the region and seizing state property in Catalonia.
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