A Wasted Vote?

A Wasted Vote?
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By Howard Brereton - Typically Spanish Editor - Dec 14, 2009 - 8:18 AM

Voters in Arenys de Munt where the first such referendum was held - EFE

The poor turnout in the unofficial referendum in Cataluña on independence shows it to be a minority concern

‘95% vote yes for independence’ is no doubt the headline that many who want to separate from Spain would have wanted to see on the front pages of the papers on Monday morning, following the referendum in 166 municipalities.

It was not a legally binding vote, but independent activists, generally on the left wing will be dissapointed that turnout did not even reach 30%.

The exercise gives us a rough idea of how many in the general population care enough about independence to change their usual Sunday plans, but most of the population had better things to do.

Spanish Prime Minister, José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, dismissed the voting exercise, but will be releaved that turnout was so poor.

More importantly for Cataluña will be the outcome of the decision expected shortly from what we are told is a deadlocked Constitutional Court, following the Partido Popular’s challenge to Statute which should have been fully in force in the region by now.

The Constititional Court has been debating the matter for the past three years, and reports indicate it seems they will want the word ‘nation’ removed from the preface to the documents, as well challenging other articles.

The Partido Popular considers that such articles in the Catalan Statute are a threat to the unity of Spain, but despite that they were more than happy to vote in favour of the Andalucian Statute.
There are more than 100 articles in common between the two documents, and closer inspection shows that the PP is challenging 126 articles in the Catalan document, 42 of which they were happy to vote in favour of in Andalucía.

The Spanish Constitution is a respected document worldwide, and rightly so. These challenges to it serve to test its flexibility, and hence its strength, but I fear that the effect of the PP action will only be to create greater unrest and uncertainity in the regions.

Spain as a nation should be concentrating on the difficult challenges it faces from outside its borders, not within them.
But with the Catalan regional elections at the end of next year, I fear the agenda is not set to change.

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