Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez said there will never be a referendum on self-determination in Catalonia and has stated the region’s independence process is over.
Speaking at a press conference in Brussels on Thursday after the meeting of EU leaders, he said the last decade had been a waste of time for Catalonia and for Spain when it comes to everything that has to do with the territorial model.
The renewed call for a referendum comes from Catalonia’s regional president, Pere Aragonès of the pro-independence Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), whose party is now calling for a referendum based on the so-called “Montenegro model” that would grant independence with 50% participation and 55% in favour.
Spanish government dashes hopes of ‘Montenegro-style’ referendum for Catalonia
The government on Wednesday strongly dashed all hopes of allowing for a “Montenegro-style” referendum on Catalonia’s self-determination, despite the repeated calls from all Catalan pro-independence forces sitting in parliament.
Finance Minister María Jesús Montero, Culture Minister Miquel Iceta, and Education Minister …
The head of the Spanish executive added that bridges were broken and dialogue was ended, confrontation and judicialisation were favoured, coming to unilateralism and the breakdown of the constitutional order and democratic legality.
“In Catalonia there is not going to be any self-determination consultation. Not only because it does not fit in the Constitution, that would be enough, but also because we have to contribute with solutions that overcome the fracture”, he added.
In May 2023, Spain will hold municipal elections, which is viewed by many as the first litmus test for Sanchez’s governing coalition with left-wing Unidas Podemos.
After that, the parties will have to face the general election set for December next year, and the political row with Catalonia is one of the “hot potatoes” in the Iberian political arena.
Source: euractiv.com
