Catalonia to launch a volunteer register of citizens living abroad for the self-determination vote

Catalan News Agency

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. (more info)