The Junts pel Si bloc and leftist CUP declared the beginning of the process for independence from Spain with a nine-point road map they hope to pass in the Catalan assembly.
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The impasse could leave the region without a leader until December 20, when a general election will be held that could see the Catalan question take centre stage as Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy seeks re-election for his conservative Popular Party. However, Rajoy said in July that Catalonia would not be granted independence no matter what the result of the elections.
Rajoy said on Monday the Catalan push for independence showed “disloyalty to the constitution”, arguing the Spanish constitution does not allow any region to break away and vowing to ensure that the law is respected.
The “Together for Yes” alliance is headed by acting regional Catalan President Artur Mas, who after failing to get a majority is now in negotiations with the CUP party to try to form a new government.
Pro-independence political parties won parliamentary elections having a majority of seats but not of votes. That election set the region on a collision course with Spain’s central government over independence, less than two months before a general election.
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy insists that independence referendums as well as other secessionist steps contradict the Spanish constitution and therefore are illegal.
“The government guarantees and will guarantee they will not meet any of their goals”, he said, adding that if the proposal is passed by the Catalonian parliament it will not have any impact.
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Members of Mas’ Democratic Convergence of Catalonia (CDC) – part of the Together for Yes coalition – also face corruption claims and on Tuesday police raided the homes of former Catalan President Jordi Pujol as part of an investigation into hidden family wealth, tax fraud and money laundering. His house was one of those searched Tuesday.
