A hundred personalities and intellectuals demand a unilateral independence referendum in 2017

BarcelonaThe demand of a unilateral referendum on independence (RUI, in Catalan) is garnering greater support in Catalonia. Following the call by the CUP and Demòcrates de Catalunya —and while the ANC is busy holding an internal debate on the issue—, a new manifesto was unveiled on Tuesday demanding a RUI in 2017, just after the bill of juridical transitoriness is passed and as a prerequisite for a declaration of independence, if Yes wins. The manifesto, which is endorsed by about one hundred intellectuals, politicians and culture personalities, can be signed online by anyone wishing to express their support.

Among those who have already signed are radio presenters Òscar Dalmau and Òscar Andreu; script writers Oriol de Balanzó and Tomàs Fuentes; journalist Natza Farré —these five names actually make up nearly the whole team behind La Competència, the popular satirical show on RAC1; Anna Arqué, spokesperson for ICEC (International Commission of European Citizens); former CUP MPs David Fernàndez and Antonio Baños; former SI MP Uriel Bertran; former Catalan minister and ERC leader Josep-Lluís Carod-Rovira; writers Jordí Cabré and Enric Vila; Junts pel Sí MP and Demòcrates de Catalunya spokesman Antoni Castellà; philosophy lecturer Jordi Graupera; musician and anti-eviction activist Pau Llonch; Marc Martínez, the actor and theatre director; musicians Roger Mas and Carles Sanjosé; Jordi Muñoz (PhD in Political Science); Elisenda Paluzie, the dean of the College of Business and Economics at the University of Barcelona; journalist and TV produce Toni Soler; and Boaz Vilallonga, who holds a PhD in History and is a visiting lecturer at NY University.

The signatories of the manifesto find it increasingly “hard to understand why the right to self-determination has not been effectively applied yet, despite the results of the local polls, the elections to the Catalan parliament and the recent Spanish elections”. Even though the vote of November 9, 2014 was supposed to be an independence referendum, the event was actually turned into “a participatory process without any political effect”. “Although the Catalan people showed that they were willing to defend their civil rights and disobey the suspensions ruled by the Spanish Constitutional Court, the vote of November 9 was merely a popular rally”, they claim.

The difficulties with the other ways

The manifesto goes on to state that “Catalonia’s —and Spain’s— political life will not become normal until the Catalan people are allowed to exercise their right to self-determination”, even though the path of a mutually-agreed referendum —as advocated by Catalonia’s new alternative left— “has proven to be ineffectual”. Likewise, the path of a plebiscite-like election “has shown itself to be unclear, of little use and presents some issues that prevent it from being an alternative to a self-determination referendum”.

According to the current independence road map, as outlined by ruling coalition Junts pel Sí, there must be a referendum to approve the Constitution of the new Catalan Republic, but the manifesto argues that “it is essential to decide the political future of our nation before we hold a referendum to approve a Constitution; the free expression of the people’s will must be protected and we must avoid tying independence to the approval of a particular constitutional draft”. The signatories believe that the referendum has value as an expression of sovereignty, regardless of its outcome.

Therefore, the text suggests passing the bill of juridical transitoriness in 2017, which would allow to draft the “referendum’s electoral rules to ensure that the process is fair, open and free”. The parliament would then call a referendum for the same year “regardless of what the Spanish state might determine, in accordance with international law”. In the event of a Yes win, the Catalan parliament would declare independence and would inform “all the nations worldwide”.