Catalonia to launch a volunteer register of citizens living abroad for the self-determination vote
CNA
Barcelona (ACN).- The Catalan Government is preparing a
decree to launch a volunteer and personal register of citizens living
abroad that might be used for the self-determination consultation vote,
scheduled for the next 9th of November. The decree is
currently going through a public consultation process and it does not
explicitly mention the self-determination vote. It develops a law from
1996 regarding Catalan communities abroad. The news was disclosed by two
newspapers and confirmed to the CNA by sources in the Catalan
Government. These sources underlined that other Autonomous Communities
have similar registers, such as Andalusia, La Rioja and Galicia.
However, such a register would be particularly useful to organise a
self-determination vote without the assistance of the Spanish
Government. Currently, Spanish authorities are totally opposed to
holding such a vote and they are blocking it through a no-to-everything
attitude. However, parties supporting the organisation of such a vote –
which represent some two thirds of the Catalan Parliament – have been
repeating that the will of the Catalan people cannot be blocked in a
democratic state and within a democratic European Union. Around 75% of
the Catalan population would like to hold such a vote, according to many
opinion polls and the results of the last Catalan Elections (November
2012). In addition, more than 50% of Catalans would now support
independence from Spain. In fact, a recent poll indicated that some 60% of the citizens would support an independent Catalan State within the EU.
Within the next few weeks, the Catalan Government will approve a
decree to create a register of Catalan citizens living throughout the
world. The registration will be made on a volunteer basis and will be
personal. The register will be used to send information to Catalans
living abroad. In addition, it will also allow these citizens to benefit
from their political rights, including applying for grants and
subsidies. According to the Executive, the creation of such a register
is a persisting claim of Catalan communities abroad, particularly voiced
by the sons, daughters and grand-children of Catalans who went into
exile during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) and Franco's Fascist
Military Dictatorship (1939-1976).
However, it could also be used for a hypothetical independence
consultation vote, particularly the self-determination vote that a
majority of Catalan parties agreed to hold on the next 9th of
November. The decree, nonetheless, does not mention this particular
case. In fact, knowing whether this register will be used or not to
create an electoral census of citizens living abroad in order to serve
for the self-determination consultation vote will depend on the
definitive text of the Consultation Vote Law. Such a bill is currently
being debated on at the Catalan Parliament and it is expected to be
approved around the summer break.
More on
Catalan Elections, Catalan Government, Catalan Independence, Catalans Abroad, Democracy, Elections, Electoral System, Independence, Poll, Referendum, Self-Determination, Vote
