The massive pro-independence march of September 11 in Catalonia had all political parties in the region scrambling to rearrange their rhetoric. If the ruling nationalists of CiU, led by Artur Mas, threw down the secessionist gauntlet before Madrid by saying they will hold a referendum come what may, the Catalan Socialists (PSC) are now demanding “the right to decide through a referendum agreed to within a legal framework.”

Until recently, such a claim would have been unthinkable from a party that supports the unity of Spain, but with regional elections around the corner on November 25, the call for a popular referendum has been incorporated into the PSC’s electoral platform. The reference to “a legal framework” stands in contrast with Mas’ recent statements that, if re-elected, he will conduct the referendum with or without consent.

Besides the referendum, the PSC is also calling for a profound reform of the Spanish Constitution to move from a “state of the autonomies” to a “state of federated nations” in which Catalonia, Galicia and the Basque Country would be on a much more equal footing with the Spanish government than they are today.

The leader of the Catalan Socialists, Pere Navarro, said that his party’s proposal opens up a third option that lies somewhere between “the centralism of the [ruling] Popular Party and the reckless prophecy of Artur Mas.”

The PSC’s new approach comes shortly after the Socialists performed poorly in regional elections in Galicia and the Basque Country, with experts forecasting similarly bad results in the Catalan ballot next month.