Catalonia vote: 80% back independence, say organisers

(BBC) An informal vote on independence for Catalonia has shown more than 80% in favour, organisers say.

The provisional results followed a day of voting across the region in north-eastern Spain.

Earlier, Catalan leader Artur Mas hailed the non-binding poll "a great success" that should pave the way for a formal referendum.

The non-binding vote went ahead after Spain's constitutional court ruled out a formal referendum.

Spanish Justice Minister Rafael Catala dismissed the poll as "fruitless and useless".

"The government considers this to be a day of political propaganda organised by pro-independence forces and devoid of any kind of democratic validity," he said in a statement.

Vice President Joana Ortega said that more than two million people had taken part in the poll and that with almost all votes counted, 80.72% had backed independence.

Full story: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-29982960


-- BBC 2014-11-10

Just like the Scots, arrogant and full of bs! I wish the Scots had won. I am glad the Catalonians have voted.

Even if there were a referendum it would be conducted across the whole of Spain, not just the Catalans.

It may well end up 80% saying NO independence.

I was glad to see the back of the armada

Just like the Scots, arrogant and full of bs! I wish the Scots had won. I am glad the Catalonians have voted.

The Scots did win.

Makes sense to me. I hope they eventually succeed. The culture is quite different.

Just like the Scots, arrogant and full of bs! I wish the Scots had won. I am glad the Catalonians have voted.

Why? What have the Catalan's ever done for us ?

Makes sense to me. I hope they eventually succeed. The culture is quite different.

Wouldn't make sense to the rest of Spain. Yorkshire and London have different cultures but they are still both English

Even if there were a referendum it would be conducted across the whole of Spain, not just the Catalans.

It may well end up 80% saying NO independence.

Or perhaps the rest of Spain would like to see them leave...

Even if there were a referendum it would be conducted across the whole of Spain, not just the Catalans.

It may well end up 80% saying NO independence.

And you're in the group that think people in England (10 times the population of Scotland), should have had the right to vote in the Scottish referendum ??? Let's have Russia vote on whether Ukraine can go independent, Serbia on Kosovo, that's a brilliant idea.

What Catalonia had is a non-binding vote, so the No side didn't bother turning out, so barring them having got a majority of the voting age population - which they didn't get by something around a million votes, the whole thing was essentially meaningless.

Even if there were a referendum it would be conducted across the whole of Spain, not just the Catalans.

It may well end up 80% saying NO independence.

Or perhaps the rest of Spain would like to see them leave...

I doubt that, most of Spain's tax revenue comes from Catalonia.

True, Spain won't easily let them leave. Each independence movement is different, of course. Let them work it out!

Makes sense to me. I hope they eventually succeed. The culture is quite different.

The culture is different and it was a real issue during Franco's years of repression.

Nowadays, the situation is totally different with Catalonia (as other specific regions like Pais Vasco) enjoying a very large autonomy already

The issue today is mostly about financial flows and an arrogance rooted in economic success. Basically: let's keep our money here, for us.

The North of Italy suffers the same disease; just as Flanders

They could join England as we both have the same patron saint - St George

Forget the frail Scots. these guys got the cajones