The Parliament of Catalonia has defied a court’s ruling and voted on Wednesday to push forward the process of the region's secession from Spain.
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A total of 72 deputies from the independence coalition "Together for Yes" and the pro-independence CUP party voted unanimously to approve the conclusions of the "constitutional process," thus opening a unilateral path to achieve the independence.
The Constitutional Court in Madrid previously warned that the initiative violates the Constitution and asked deputies and members of Parliament to abstain from voting. However, the warnings were ignored.
Right after the vote, a meeting was held in Madrid at the General Commission of State Secretaries and Undersecretaries in order to analyze whether to bring this case to the Council of Ministers on Friday in order to denounce disobedience to the constitutional court.
In 2014 more than 2 million Catalans voted in a non-binding referendum on independence, with over 80 percent backing the “yes.” But so far there has been little progress on the part of Madrid on the issue.
The president of Catalonia's Parliament Carme Forcadell, from the "Together for Yes" coalition, said to The Guardian that the the lack of action by the Spanish government left the pro-independence advocates with no other choice.
Government sources have reported that acting Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, a fervent opponent of Catalonia's secession, has been in contact with leaders of other parties and the King Felipe in order to discuss the situation.
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Spain has been without a fully functioning government for seven months after two elections have failed to give any party an absolute parliamentary majority.
Catalonia is one of the wealthiest regions of Spain, comprising almost one-fifth of the struggling Spanish economy. Spain’s economic downturn, along with austerity policies and political scandals, have contributed to renewed interest in independence.