Catalans Spur the Remaking of Spain With Battle for Independence
Protestors march beneath a large Catalan flag during a demonstration in favour of regional independence in Barcelona, Spain, on Sept. 11, 2012.
Photographer: Stefano Buonamici/BloombergThis article is for subscribers only.
Catalonia’s bid for independence has opened the floodgates: Now all Spain’s major parties are looking to remake the way the state’s power is carved up.
Catalan President Artur Mas plans to use voting for the region’s parliament on Sept. 27 -- weeks before national elections are due -- as a de-facto referendum on leaving Spain. Just as the Scottish independence movement has prompted a rethink of how the U.K. is governed, Spain’s national parties are responding with plans to prevent the disintegration of a country whose mainland borders are unchanged since the 17th century.