News / EU

Catalans draft deal on regional government

Tuesday, 22 December 2015 2:35 PM [ Last Update: Tuesday, 22 December 2015 2:36 PM ]

The photo taken on September 25, 2015 shows people waving pro-independence Catalan flags. (AFP Photo)

Spain’s Catalan separatists have reached a preliminary deal to form a pro-independence regional government.

The deal, struck on Tuesday, considers an economic plan and supports Catalonia President Artur Mas as the head of the regional government.

The pro-independence CUP party will have to ink the deal in an assembly on December 27.

In a poll in November 2014, the majority of Catalans taking part in the unofficial election voted in favor of independence for the economically-robust region.

The secessionists viewed the vote as a testament to the Catalan people’s will and declared regional elections in September 2015 as a true referendum on independence.

In the September elections, Catalan nationalist parties won an absolute majority in the 135-seat regional assembly.

The Spanish government, however, rejected the bid by declaring the secessionist motion as unconstitutional.

Spain’s central government is also caught up with the fallout of an inconclusive election on December 20.

In the general elections, the ruling People’s Party (PP) won 123 seats in the 350-seat parliament. The figure is far below the majority needed to enable the PP to form a government on its own. The Socialists came in second, followed by two newly established parties, the anti-austerity Podemos and the pro-business Ciudadanos.

The three parties have made it clear that they will not support the PP to form a new government.

Rivaling groups have criticized the ruling party for its policies that they claim have contributed to a 21-percent unemployment rate. The Rajoy administration is also accused of corruption.

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