Catalonia Votes, Spain Loses

Some months ago the Catalan people in the region around Barcelona held a plebiscite and voted to separate from Spain. Spain's Prime Minister Rajoy said the vote was illegal and cut arrest warrants for the local leaders who held it.

Yesterday officially sanctioned elections were held in the region and politicians who favor separation won. Reuters reports:

With nearly all votes counted, separatist parties won a slim majority in Catalan parliament, a result that promises to prolong political tensions which have damaged Spain’s economy and prompted a business exodus from the region.

Rajoy, who called the elections after sacking the previous secessionist government, had hoped Catalonia’s “silent majority” would deal separatism a decisive blow in what was a de facto independence referendum, but his hard line backfired.

The unexpected result sets the stage for the return to power of deposed Catalan president Carles Puigdemont who campaigned from self-exile in Brussels. State prosecutors accuse him of sedition, and he faces arrest if he were to return home.

“Either Rajoy changes his recipe or we change the country,” Puigdemont, said in a televised speech. He was flanked by four former cabinet members that fled with him.

Last century Spaniards had a history of killing each other. Are they about to start anew? This situation bears watching.