25 November 2012

Elections are held in Catalonia. The result is that 80% of MPs in the new Parliament of Catalonia support the right to self-determination.

The new Catalan Parliament has 107 out of 135 MPs supporting a self-determination referendum as the best way to find out what the majority of Catalans think about independence and as an effective way to channel the massive bottom-up pro-independence movement through the institutions.

Timeline

31 October 2003

After 25 years of unsatisfactory interpretations of the 1979 Statute and a continued failure to implement it properly, Catalan political parties propose to set out definitively the political status of Catalonia within Spain.
16 November 2003

Parties supporting a new Statute of Autonomy obtain 88% of seats and the popular vote in the Catalan elections.
30 September 2005

The Parliament of Catalonia passes its proposal for a new Statute of Autonomy.
1 February 2006

The Spanish People’s Party starts a campaign against the new Catalan Statute.
10 May 2006

The Spanish Parliament approves a watered-down version of the Statute.
18 June 2006

The resulting Statute is ratified by the people of Catalonia via a referendum.
28 June 2010

Almost four years after it became law, the Spanish Constitutional Court rewrites 14 articles of the Catalan Statute and reinterprets 27 others.
10 July 2010

As a response to the Court’s sentence, a huge protest under the slogan ‘We are a nation. We decide!’ is organized.
20 November 2011

General elections in Spain result in a new absolute majority for the People’s Party.
11 September 2012

On Catalonia’s National Day, 1.5 million people attend a demonstration in Barcelona with ‘Catalonia: Next State in Europe’ as its slogan.
20 September 2012

Another “No” from Madrid.
25 November 2012

Elections are held in Catalonia. The result is that 80% of MPs in the new Parliament of Catalonia support the right to self-determination.
13 March 2013

A vast majority (77%) of the Catalan Parliament requests the Catalan President to start negotiations with the Spanish Government so as to hold a self-determination referendum in Catalonia.
11 September 2013

About 2 million Catalans hold hands to form a human chain covering 400 km from the north to the south of Catalonia calling for independence.
16 January 2014

The Parliament of Catalonia makes a formal petition asking the Spanish Government to transfer the necessary powers to hold the referendum (as Westminster did with Scotland).
8 April 2014

The Spanish Parliament votes against transferring referendum powers to Catalonia.
11 September 2014

1.8 million people take to the streets of Barcelona to celebrate Catalonia’s National Day and ask to vote on 9 November.
19 September 2014

The Catalan Parliament approves the Law on Non-Binding Popular Consultations with 79% of MPs in favour.
27 September 2014

The President of Catalonia, Artur Mas, signs the decree calling a popular consultation on 9 November.
29 September 2014

The Spanish Government urges the Constitutional Court to temporarily suspend Catalonia’s popular consultation.
4 October 2014

97% of the municipalities of Catalonia (920 out of 947) pass motions in favour of the popular consultation.
14 October 2014

Due to the Constitutional Court’s suspension of the scheduled consultation, President Mas announces a new vote through a ‘public participatory process’.
4 November 2014

The Spanish Constitutional Court suspends the public participatory process five days before the date of the event.
9 November 2014

Despite the impediments of the Spanish government and the state’s judicial bodies, over 2.3 million Catalans vote in the participatory process: 80.76% vote for independence, 4.54% for the status quo and 10.07% for a “devo-max” or “third way solution”.
12 November 2014

Three days after the 9 November informal vote, Spanish PM Rajoy makes an official statement on the subject. He says that “it was not a democratic vote, but an act of political propaganda and a useless farce”.
21 November 2014

The Spanish State Prosecutor files a complaint and seeks criminal charges against President Mas, as well as the Catalan Vice-President and the Minister of Education, because they “did not prevent” the 9 November vote.
25 November 2014

President Artur Mas defends the right of the Catalan people to hold a legally-binding vote on independence.
29 November 2014

Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy visits Barcelona for the first time since the 9 November vote and strongly criticizes Catalonia’s self-determination plans in a People’s Party meeting.
14 January 2015

Catalonia will have a de facto independence referendum via early elections on 27 September.
3 August 2015

Catalan President officially calls elections for 27 September.

25 November 2012

Elections are held in Catalonia. The result is that 80% of MPs in the new Parliament of Catalonia support the right to self-determination.

Timeline

After 25 years of unsatisfactory interpretations of the 1979 Statute and a continued failure to implement it properly, Catalan political parties propose to set out definitively the political status of Catalonia within Spain.

Parties supporting a new Statute of Autonomy obtain 88% of seats and the popular vote in the Catalan elections.

The Parliament of Catalonia passes its proposal for a new Statute of Autonomy.

The Spanish People’s Party starts a campaign against the new Catalan Statute.

The Spanish Parliament approves a watered-down version of the Statute.

The resulting Statute is ratified by the people of Catalonia via a referendum.

Almost four years after it became law, the Spanish Constitutional Court rewrites 14 articles of the Catalan Statute and reinterprets 27 others.

As a response to the Court’s sentence, a huge protest under the slogan ‘We are a nation. We decide!’ is organized.

General elections in Spain result in a new absolute majority for the People’s Party.

On Catalonia’s National Day, 1.5 million people attend a demonstration in Barcelona with ‘Catalonia: Next State in Europe’ as its slogan.

Another “No” from Madrid.

Elections are held in Catalonia. The result is that 80% of MPs in the new Parliament of Catalonia support the right to self-determination.

A vast majority (77%) of the Catalan Parliament requests the Catalan President to start negotiations with the Spanish Government so as to hold a self-determination referendum in Catalonia.

About 2 million Catalans hold hands to form a human chain covering 400 km from the north to the south of Catalonia calling for independence.

The Parliament of Catalonia makes a formal petition asking the Spanish Government to transfer the necessary powers to hold the referendum (as Westminster did with Scotland).

The Spanish Parliament votes against transferring referendum powers to Catalonia.

1.8 million people take to the streets of Barcelona to celebrate Catalonia’s National Day and ask to vote on 9 November.

The Catalan Parliament approves the Law on Non-Binding Popular Consultations with 79% of MPs in favour.

The President of Catalonia, Artur Mas, signs the decree calling a popular consultation on 9 November.

The Spanish Government urges the Constitutional Court to temporarily suspend Catalonia’s popular consultation.

97% of the municipalities of Catalonia (920 out of 947) pass motions in favour of the popular consultation.

Due to the Constitutional Court’s suspension of the scheduled consultation, President Mas announces a new vote through a ‘public participatory process’.

The Spanish Constitutional Court suspends the public participatory process five days before the date of the event.

Despite the impediments of the Spanish government and the state’s judicial bodies, over 2.3 million Catalans vote in the participatory process: 80.76% vote for independence, 4.54% for the status quo and 10.07% for a “devo-max” or “third way solution”.

Three days after the 9 November informal vote, Spanish PM Rajoy makes an official statement on the subject. He says that “it was not a democratic vote, but an act of political propaganda and a useless farce”.

The Spanish State Prosecutor files a complaint and seeks criminal charges against President Mas, as well as the Catalan Vice-President and the Minister of Education, because they “did not prevent” the 9 November vote.

President Artur Mas defends the right of the Catalan people to hold a legally-binding vote on independence.

Spanish PM Mariano Rajoy visits Barcelona for the first time since the 9 November vote and strongly criticizes Catalonia’s self-determination plans in a People’s Party meeting.

Catalonia will have a de facto independence referendum via early elections on 27 September.

Catalan President officially calls elections for 27 September.

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Background

The 27S2014 vote

Debate