JxSí, CUP agree to hold independence referendum no later than September 2017
Their document clearly states that the vote will be held “regardless” of Madrid’s position on the vote
BarcelonaCatalonia’s pro-independence parties have agreed on a joint draft motion that will discussed during the general debate being held in parliament this week. As reported first by Catalunya Ràdio, this newspaper has confirmed that the motion proposes holding a vote on independence “no later than” September next year.
This suggests that the CUP is showing some flexibility on their initial stance voiced on Tuesday at a press conference, when the pro-independence, anti-capitalist group urged the parliament to call a referendum before July 2017 rather than at the end of September, as president Carles Puigdemont had announced. CUP MP Albert Botran had stated that “we have all the political legitimacy and the strength to do it, plus the 18-month period would be up just then (1)”.
Nevertheless, sources within the CUP mentioned that the date would be negotiable so long as an agreement could be reached with Junts pel Sí on a single draft motion, even if it meant not holding the vote in July. On Tuesday Junts pel Sí warned that they were unwilling to be more specific, beyond what the president had already announced last week: the independence referendum would be held during the second half of September next year.
The joint motion also includes a provision for the setup of a committee before the end of this year to promote, monitor and carry out the referendum. Both groups also agreed to disclose that the vote would take place without Madrid’s permission. The CUP deliberately chose not to include the word “unilateral” in their proposal and instead chose to call it “binding”, like the Catalan government has done.
Still, the two groups didn’t see eye to eye on the matter of the vote “not requiring” the Spanish government’s permission to go ahead. In the end the draft motion states that the referendum will be called “regardless” of Madrid’s position.
On the issue of the referendum JxSí needs to find a balance that would allow for an agreement on the other motion filed by Catalunya Sí que es Pot (CSQP), who support self-determination but not independence. In addition to the draft being negotiated with the CUP, JxSí is also hoping to come to an understanding on a joint motion with CSQP in order to broaden the parliamentary support for self-determination. The CUP will likely abstain on this motion, as they did when the Catalan Parliament formally asked the Spanish Congress to be granted the powers to call a referendum, as well as with the alternative motion filed by CSQP in support of a consensual vote on November 9 last year.
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(1) N.T. The pro-independence groups in the Catalan parliament had agreed to spend no more than 18 months getting Catalonia ready for the breakaway from Spain.
