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.
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A person voting in Catalonia (by ACN)