Catalans seeking more power in political scene: Analyst

Press TV has conducted an interview with Ramin Vahidzadeh, an expert on Ibero-American affairs in Tehran, to discuss a move by Spain's Constitutional Court to suspend Catalonia’s independence motion days after it was approved by the Catalan parliament.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: How do you feel about this move? Certainly not unexpected.

Vahidzadeh: No exactly, it is not unexpected as we see that the Constitutional Court has ruled out this decision. But the main fact, the most curious fact indeed, is: Why did they do this right now?

Because some days before the resolution going on the vote, they said, ‘Okay you can go on and have these resolution debate in your parliament.’ If it is illegal, what did they accept that at the first place?  And we can see that, in the Constitutional Court, the president of the Constitutional Court Mr. [Francisco Peres de los] Cobos is a former member of this Popular Party [of Catalonia], which forms the central government and the judge, who has given this order, is also one of the ex-members of the popular party.

So it is not, as you said, a very unexpected move, but what we are saying is that the central government is trying some how to make the police form state to take these matters in their hands and say that ‘if you go this way, we will send to jail.’

But because the judicial system has to be somehow independent, they are refusing some points that include the 21 members of the independence row to be kicked away from their positions. But they are saying that it is going to be ‘tough talk’ and it ‘would not be any legal action.’

Press TV: Do you think that Catalans should be optimistic or pessimistic about independence? 

Vahidzadeh: Well the Catalans know that the independence is the last resort. The main thing that they are seeking right now is more power in the political scene. They want more freedom as they are having right now. The main coalition that is in the parliament [was] once also the upper hand in the negotiations. The thing is that the inaction of the central government has made this process to go to this level that we are seeing right now.

If the central government was seeking dialogue, if they did not go on with these years of not having anything more than it is illegal, we will not let you do this, we will take necessary measures in this matter and go on the dialog, we would see a different scene. But the inaction of the central government, Mr. Rajoy’s administration, has made this choice for the independence.

As we can see, the well-planned action that had taken place by the independence-seekers; they knew when to put the elections. The date is critical. They knew when to do this voting because they are right now in the election campaign for the general elections in Spain. So the opposition forum will not maintain the position of the central government and he had failed to make an effort that can be significant.

And the main fact will be the voting on Thursday to elect in a new president for Catalonia and I think Mr. Artur Mas will gain these votes on Thursday and so he will have to continue this pressure on the central government. 

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