Parliament declares the Republic
On October 27, the Catalan chamber lifted the suspension on declaring independence and voted in favour of announcing a new state
We hereby constitute the Catalan Republic as an independent, sovereign, legal, democratic, socially-conscious state.” It was with these words that Catalan parliament speaker Carme Forcadell read out the preamble to the proposal to declare the independence of Catalonia on October 27. The text itself was part of the declaration signed by MPs and government members on October 10, later suspended by Catalan president Carles Puigdemont to give time for talks with the Spanish government. As the offer of dialogue was not taken up, the Catalan parliament proceeded with its mandate and declared a new republic.
The proclamation was made at 3.30pm. It was preceded by a two-hour debate involving all parties in the Catalan Parliament and a complex vote. Later that evening, following a vote in the Senate, Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy announced that his executive would begin implementing Article 155 of the Constitution and the suspension of Catalonia’s self-government. The first action Rajoy announced was the removal of Puigdemont and the rest of the Catalan government from office. In accordance with the measures passed in Spain’s upper house, the prime minister took over the Catalan president’s powers and called a regional election for December 21.
While all of this was taking place inside the two chambers, outside thousands of people gathered around Barcelona’s Ciutadella park to welcome the Republic with enthusiastic cheers. However, Rajoy’s announcement was received with jeers and whistles by the people who had come together to celebrate in Barcelona’s plaça Sant Jaume, where the Catalan government headquarters is located.
The historic day began at 9.30 in the morning with the pro-independence parties registering the proclamation proposal. This was then carefully examined by the opposition parties, which lodged objections that delayed the beginning of the plenary session.
All eyes on Montilla
While Catalan MPs awaited the start of their session, in Madrid the Senate began its session to provide Rajoy with the tools he needed to suspend Catalonia’s self-government. In the upper house all eyes were on senator and former Catalan president, José Montilla, who ended up leaving the chamber so as not to vote against the institution he once headed. In Catalonia, Together for Yes (JxSí) member, Marta Rovira, said: “We are forced to build our own country, our own state, outside of this state.”
The approval of the declaration and the rejection of Article 155 came via a secret ballot at the request of JxSí. The reason for this being concern that MPs who voted in favour would be later identified and pursued in the courts. Even the CUP party accepted the strategy, seeing it as being in line with its “culture of anti-repressive politics,” according to CUP MP Anna Gabriel.
The proposal was passed with 70 votes in favour, 10 against and two abstentions. The ballot box used was carried into the chamber by a member of JxSí so that none of the chamber’s ushers would be subject to risk of legal punishment at a later date. When it came to the vote itself, two moments caught the attention of those watching: the first was when Catalunya Si Que es Pot (CSQP) MPs approached the ballot box with their ‘No’ vote clearly visible. The second was when Rovira kissed her ballot before depositing it in the box. Before the text of the proclamation was approved, the MPs had already voted to “immediately activate” the constituent process to set up the new republic. In that electronic vote, there were 71 votes in favour, 8 against and 3 abstentions. Outside the chamber, 650 mayors welcomed the MPs in the Republic’s first ceremonial act.
“Encouraging hate”
The day was also marked by the outright rejection of two proposals made by the opposition parties. Socialist MP Eva Granados was particularly bitter in her address, accusing the pro-independence parties of “ruining everything.” Granados denounced the “deliberate” strategy of “trying to encourage hate towards other parts of Spain, to generate division and splits between families, workmates and friends.”
Meanwhile, in Madrid Rajoy argued that politicians “shouldn’t guide the people to an impossible Ithaca,” adding that the process had only served to “expose the lies” of Catalan pro-independence leaders.