Catalonia’s regional parliament on Monday approved a plan for independence from Spain, adopting a resolution that they say could allow the autonomous region to secede by 2017.
The motion in the wake of pro-independence parties winning a majority of seats in parliament in September 2014 and calls for the assembly to start hammering out details for a separate social security system and treasury within 30 days.
With a push from Catalan President Artur Mas’ “Together for Yes” coalition and the collective voting power of the Popular Unity Candidacy (Candidatura d’Unitat Popular, CUP) separatist party, the measure passed 72-63.
Spain’s conservative central government said it did not support independence for Catalonia and would challenge the resolution. Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said he would ask the nation’s constitutional court to declare it void, which would suspend the measure until judges hear arguments from both sides.
It’s expected that the court will rule in favor of Madrid, as it did in September 2014 when Catalonia attempted to schedule a vote on the issue.
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