Political tensions in Spain peaked on Oct. 1 when Catalonia hosted a controversial vote for independence from Spain, according to CNN. About half of the population voted, and 90 percent of votes were pro-independence.

While the President of Catalonia, Carlos Puigdemont, originally promised a unilateral declaration of independence after the referendum, Spain refused to recognize the legitimacy of the vote, according to CNN. The Spanish government declared the referendum unconstitutional.

Puigdemont then altered his position and chose to pursue international help for negotiations with the Madrid government, according to The Guardian.

The Daily Orange spoke with Seth Jolly, an associate professor of political science in Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, to discuss the political tensions in Spain.

The Daily Orange: Spanish police tried to shut down Catalonian voting on Oct. 1 through the use of force; They fired rubber bullets into the crowd and pulled voters from polling booths. Do you think these actions strengthened the nationalistic sentiments of Catalonians?

Seth Jolly: Compared to London’s approach in the Scottish case, where they made a concerted campaign to convince Scots to stay together in the United Kingdom, the Madrid approach is more combative and has had counterproductive effects. Fewer than half of Catalans typically support independence in polls, but that number has spiked in recent weeks in large part due to the Spanish mishandling of the referendum.

The D.O.: Many banks and businesses based in Catalonia announced their plans to move out of the region due to its continuing political uncertainty. How will this affect the region’s economy?

S.J.: Catalonia is a rich province in Spain, and of course any business flight would hurt Catalonia and hurt Spain. But as we’ve seen in the ongoing Brexit process — the effects of complex, extraordinary actions … are difficult to predict and take a long time to shake out. Assuming the conflict does not drag on, it’s more likely that the banks and businesses take a wait-and-see approach.

The D.O.: The President of Catalonia, Carlos Puigdemont, originally promised a unilateral declaration of independence within 48 hours of the referendum. Instead, he chose to seek international help for mediated negotiations with the Madrid government. Do you think Puigdemont should have honored his original promise, and the vote of the people?

S.J.: While 90 percent of Catalan votes were for independence, only half of registered voters cast ballots. Also, given that the national Constitutional Court has ruled the referendum illegal, Puigdemont’s patience is a good move for Catalonia and for Spain. In opinion polls, fewer than half of Catalans supported independence before the current impasse.

The D.O.: This controversy shows Spain’s lack of nationalism. How do you think this will affect the future of Spain? Do you think other regions will be inspired to seek independence?

S.J.: Spain has long been a country of multiple identities: regional, national and even European. In most Euro-barometer surveys over the last 20 years, Spaniards are as likely to identify with their country … as the average European.

At the moment, the other region in Spain that has the longest history of pro-independence movements is the Basque region near the French border. But these days, the Basques are quiet on that front, and instead are negotiating with the national government to make sure their region has the best possible deal with the central government. If Catalonia did achieve independence, then that debate would begin anew.

Published on October 17, 2017 at 10:35 pm

Contact Olivia: olcole@syr.edu