Global Geopolitical Series: Setback for Spain and EU as Catalonia votes for separatists

In a setback for the Spanish government and the European Union, Catalonia’s voters voted in favor pro-independence parties creating a political uncertainty for the region. On October 1st, Catalonia’s regional parliament led by separatist leader Carles Puigdemont declared independence and in response, the Spanish government invoked a rare Constitutional provision, known as Article 155 to dissolve the regional parliament that led to yesterday’s regional election.

Here are the key takeaways,

• Catalonia’s three pro-independence parties, JuntxCat, ERC, and CUP, have declared victory after winning an absolute majority of 70 seats in the 135-seat parliament, dealing a severe blow to the Spanish government.
   
• A record 80 percent plus of Catalan voters cast their ballots in the snap election.
   
• The unionist Citizens finished as the largest single party in parliament, but its 36 seats were not enough to form a majority government with other parties who favor Catalonia remaining a part of Spain.
   
• Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s center-right People’s party lost nearly three-quarters of its seats, collapsing from eleven to just four.
   
• Pro-independence politicians including Carles Puigdemont, the ousted regional president currently evading arrest in Brussels, lined up to say the vote represented a popular repudiation of article 155 of the Spanish constitution, which allowed Madrid to take direct control of the region. However, the pro-independence parties have failed to win the popular vote.

As the result became clear, the ousted Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, spoke in Brussels saying, “I want to congratulate the Catalan people, because they have sent a message to the world. The Catalan republic has beaten the monarchy and article 155. The Spanish state has been beaten. Mr. Rajoy and his allies have lost. They were seeking to legitimize article 155, but they have been beaten.

Now we need to restore democracy, restore our legitimate government, our freedoms. We need to free all those people who are still in prison but should not be. The prescription that Mr. Rajoy thought would work has failed.

Things are even more positive for the pro-independence parties today because today we have one more seat. We will have more freedom in parliament than we had before. As the legitimate president of Catalonia, I say: Mr. Rajoy’s prescription is not working.

If he keeps applying the same formula he will keep failing. He needs to change. We have to find solutions. It is time not just for Mr. Rajoy but for many other people to realize this.”