Catalonia declares its independence from Spain, setting the region on a collision course with Madrid

Delegates stand and applaud inside the Catalan parliament in Barcelona on Oct. 27, 2017. (Manu Fernandez / Associated Press)

Catalonia declared independence from Spain on Friday, a historic vote that set the breakaway region on a collision course with Spain’s central government.

Cheers erupted inside and outside the ornate Catalan parliament building after the vote result was read — a nearly unbroken series of “Si, si, si.” The final tally was 70 yes, 10 opposed and two blank ballots.

The opposition had walked out in protest moments earlier.

“Long live Catalonia!” the region’s president, Carles Puigdemont, told the packed chamber, where some lawmakers brushed away tears.

The motion calls for the start of an independence process that includes the drafting of new regional laws and envisions the start of negotiations “on equal footing” with Spanish authorities.

But in Madrid, a dramatically opposing scenario played out only moments after the Catalan parliamentary vote, as Spain’s Senate voted to impose direct rule in Catalonia. That move had been telegraphed for days by the central government but was thrown into doubt by the independence declaration.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who has denounced the region’s independence drive as illegal, sought to turn down the temperature on what appeared to be an extraordinarily volatile situation.

“I call on all Spaniards to remain calm,” he said on Twitter. “The rule of law will restore legality to Catalonia.”

Spain called an emergency Cabinet meeting to weigh the government’s response to the Catalan vote.

In Barcelona, the scene outside the parliament building was one of jubilation, with an enormous crowd breaking into a Catalan anthem. Some hugged and danced.

Sitting on a park bench near parliament, 69-year-old Jordi Soler heard the announcement and was speechless.

“They approved it,” he said through tears. “Catalonia has been struggling for democracy. Now it’s recognized.”

But some in Catalonia greeted the news with foreboding.

“Economically, it’s not a good move,” said business school student Refi Kasmadjian. “Companies are already leaving.”

Earlier, Rajoy told Spanish lawmakers that Catalan secessionists had left his government with no choice but to take drastic measures to quell the northeast region’s independence drive.

“In my opinion, there is no alternative,” Rajoy told the Senate, repeating Spain’s longstanding assertion that unilateral efforts to secede are unconstitutional. He called Catalan leaders’ actions a “mockery of democracy.”
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