Mi pequeña comprensión de la politíca de España: living as a foreigner in Spain during the referendu
- Angeline Barthel
- Oct 7, 2017
- 2 min read
*Disclaimer: Forgive my limited understanding of this topic! Just trying to give my thoughts in a nutshell.
During meals at home, we regularly watch television. The biggest headline currently in Spain is the possibility of Catalonian (Cataluña in Spanish) independence (although you’d be surprised how often I hear about Trump). Before arriving to Spain, I had no idea that Catalonia wanted to separate from the rest of Spain. It still mind-boggles me now. How do you go from “¡Viva España!” one day to “let’s break up” the next? And so, here is my experience learning about this as a foreigner.
Catalonia is located in the north-eastern part of Spain and includes Barcelona, Gerona, Lérida, and Tarragona. Again, I’d like to briefly exclaim, “How could Barcelona not be a part of Spain?!” Spain isn’t Spain without Barcelona?! Anyways, a while back, Spain was in a serious financial crisis. I get that. No one wants to be in a serious financial crisis, but we’re all in this together, right? However, Catalans in favor of independence from Spain believe that they contribute more than they receive from the central Spanish government. In other words, it’s a money thing.
Catalan President Carles Puigdemont decided to hold a referendum, or a vote, to see whether Catalonia truly wants to be independent last week. However, one major thing: it’s unconstitutional. Also, how do they go about the legal procedures to vote? On the other side, Spain’s president Mariano Rajoy is against the referendum and used all “legal” means necessary to stop the referendum. If you’ve been keeping up with international news, then you’ll know that it hasn’t been that way. Instead, streets are filled with violence as police drag protestors out of polling stations. In the end, Catalonia managed to still have a referendum, and I believe the results of the referendum favored independence.
What does the rest of Spain think about the possible secession of Spain? I can’t speak for everyone, of course. My host mom personally thinks that Catalonia is very selfish. In Sevilla, in general, I have noticed a quiet sort of protest in the streets. The majority of balconies here are draped with Spain’s flag. I suppose this symbolizes a hope for unity. However, I’ve also seen flags without Spain’s coat of arms in the center. I’m not sure what that signifies exactly, but I assume it might be in support of Catalonia.
en la Calle de la Republica Argentina, cerca de mi casa
Right now, Spain has blocked Catalonia’s parliament from declaring independence. I feel as if this year has been terrible in regard to politics among all nations, and it makes me sad to see another country so divided like my own. All I can do is hope and pray that relations improve.
Want to know more about this issue? Here are a couple links to articles that I’ve found helpful in forming an understanding, but you can find plenty of information online:
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