1.8 million people vote in favor of independence for Catalonia
Over a third of those eligible turned out to vote, according to census estimates
The Catalan government has released its results for participation in the unofficial poll on independence for the northeastern Spanish region that was held on Sunday. Deputy premier Joana Ortega announced that 2,305,290 people had come out to cast their vote, just over a third of those eligible.
She went on to say that 80.76% of the participants had voted yes to the two questions asked: “Do you want Catalonia to be a state?” was the first; in the case of a positive response, voters were asked: “Do you want Catalonia to be an independent state?”
The “yes-no” response obtained 10.07%; “no-no” 4.54%; and blank votes accounted for 0.56%.
The results were released with 100% of votes counted.
The central government is calling the vote an “act of political propaganda with no democratic validity”
Catalan regional premier Artur Mas described the unofficial, non-binding consultation as a “complete success,” calling it a “lesson in democracy,” and demonstrating that “Catalonia wants to govern ”
The Catalan government estimates that there are 5.4 million Spanish citizens over the age of 16 in Catalonia and 900,000 foreign residents with the right to vote. These figures roughly coincide with those of Spain’s National Statistics Institute, which says there are around 6,228,531 potential voters in Catalonia, regardless of nationality. According to this census, voter turnout on Sunday was 37.02 percent.
The number of votes could increase in the coming days once those from polling points abroad are counted and because the process is admitting votes up until November 25.
On the part of the central government in Madrid, which is fiercely opposed to independence for the region, Justice Minister Rafael Catalá described the November 9 vote as an “act of political propaganda with no democratic validity; a sterile and useless act.”
The minister went on to announce that the public prosecutor would evaluate the facts of Sunday’s vote and decide whether or not to begin legal action in the courts.
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