Hundreds of Thousands Rally for Catalan Independence in Barcelona
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Hundreds of thousands of separatist-minded Catalans swarmed Barcelona, giving enthusiastic backing to independence advocates who are hoping to elect a majority of secessionists in the regional parliamentary election this month, media reports said.
The campaign for the Sept. 27 ballot began on the same day as the Catalan National Day holiday, which separatists have used for years to rally hundreds of thousands to call for the creation of a new European nation, AP reported.
Barcelona police estimated "almost 1.4 million" people participated in the mass rally on Friday, but the Spanish Interior Ministry didn't immediately release a crowd count. Last year, Barcelona police put the number at 1.8 million people while the Interior Ministry said no more than 525,000 attended.
The top candidate on a list representing a block of pro-independence parties told reporters that separatists wanted to stage an independence referendum so Catalonia's voters could directly express their sentiment.
But since the central government in Madrid refused, "the only way we can know what the people want is to use the elections on the 27th," said the candidate, Raul Romeva.
Pro-independence parties need 68 seats in the 135-member parliament to push forward their agenda. Polls show them on track to win a slim majority.
Independence backers say a win would give the lawmakers a mandate to start drafting a Catalan constitution and attempt secession negotiations with the central government.
A unilateral declaration of independence for the highly industrialized northeastern region, which has a population of 7.5 million and about 18 percent of Spain's economic output, could be made by the parliament by 2017, separatists say.