Draft of New Statute of Autonomy for Catalonia of 2005
Encyclopedia
The Draft of New Statute of Autonomy for Catalonia of 2005 was a reform
proposal regarding Catalonian self-government. The Autonomous Community of Catalonia
is in the northeast corner of Spain
.
On September 30, 2005, the Catalan Parliament approved (with the support of 120 deputies
to 15) a proposal for reform of the current Statute of Autonomy
. The approved proposal was sent for review and discussion to the Cortes Generales
(Spain's parliament) on November 2, 2005.
to formality of the Proposal for reform of the new Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia with the support of all the groups except the People's Party (PP)
. The latter filed an objection
of unconstitutionality before the Constitutional Court of Spain
, currently in process. Its constitutionality
has also been contested by some intellectuals and journalist
s related to liberal or conservative media such as the COPE (Catholic radio network) and the Madrid-based newspaper
s El Mundo
and La Razón
.
and Catalonian Leader of the Opposition
Artur Mas arrived at a pre-agreement about nation definition and financing in the current project of statute.
, with the support of all parties except both the Spanish main opposition party, the conservative People's Party, and the Catalan separatist party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya
. The latter voted against the project in the Spanish Congress of Deputies but abstained in the Senate
(to avoid a blocking vote). ERC voted against it—despite its senior members having had a hand in drafting its content—as a result of the internal tensions within the party which this issue had brought to the surface. Later on both parties, for opposite reasons, supported a no vote in the referendum held afterwards regarding the passing of the new Statute
.
, decided that Sunday June 18 would be the date on which the text would be put to the Catalan people
in the form of a referendum
. The referendum approved the Statute, the "yes" side receiving 74% of votes
cast. Voter turnout
was 49.41% of the total electorate, an unprecedentedly low figure for this type of vote. The new Statute has been in force since August 9, 2006
Reform
Reform means to put or change into an improved form or condition; to amend or improve by change of color or removal of faults or abuses, beneficial change, more specifically, reversion to a pure original state, to repair, restore or to correct....
proposal regarding Catalonian self-government. The Autonomous Community of Catalonia
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
is in the northeast corner of Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
.
On September 30, 2005, the Catalan Parliament approved (with the support of 120 deputies
Member of Parliament
A Member of Parliament is a representative of the voters to a :parliament. In many countries with bicameral parliaments, the term applies specifically to members of the lower house, as upper houses often have a different title, such as senate, and thus also have different titles for its members,...
to 15) a proposal for reform of the current Statute of Autonomy
Statute of Autonomy
Nominally, a Statute of Autonomy is a law hierarchically located under the constitution of a country, and over any other form of legislation...
. The approved proposal was sent for review and discussion to the Cortes Generales
Cortes Generales
The Cortes Generales is the legislature of Spain. It is a bicameral parliament, composed of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate . The Cortes has power to enact any law and to amend the constitution...
(Spain's parliament) on November 2, 2005.
Debate
After receiving the proposal drafted by the Catalan regional parliament, on November 2, 2005 the Spanish Congress of Deputies approved the admissionAdmission
Admission may refer to:*Admission to an event or establishment*University and college admissions*Admission , a statement that may be used in court against the person making it...
to formality of the Proposal for reform of the new Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia with the support of all the groups except the People's Party (PP)
People's Party (Spain)
The People's Party is a conservative political party in Spain.The People's Party was a re-foundation in 1989 of the People's Alliance , a party led and founded by Manuel Fraga Iribarne, a former Minister of Tourism during Francisco Franco's dictatorship...
. The latter filed an objection
Objection
Objection may refer to:* Objection , a motion during a trial to disallow a witness's testimony or other evidence* Objection , used in informal logic and argument mapping** Inference objection, a special case of the above...
of unconstitutionality before the Constitutional Court of Spain
Constitutional Court of Spain
thumb|300px|The [[Domenico Scarlatti]] Building located in [[Madrid]], seat of the Constitutional Court of Justice of Spain.The Constitutional Court of Spain is the highest judicial body with the power to determine the constitutionality of acts and statutes of the Spanish Government. It is...
, currently in process. Its constitutionality
Constitutionality
Constitutionality is the condition of acting in accordance with an applicable constitution. Acts that are not in accordance with the rules laid down in the constitution are deemed to be ultra vires.-See also:*ultra vires*Company law*Constitutional law...
has also been contested by some intellectuals and journalist
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
s related to liberal or conservative media such as the COPE (Catholic radio network) and the Madrid-based newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
s El Mundo
El Mundo (Spain)
El Mundo is the second largest printed and the largest digital daily newspaper in Spain and one of the newspapers of record in that country, with a daily circulation topping 300,000 readers for the printed edition and 24 million unique web visitors per month for the...
and La Razón
La Razón (Madrid)
La Razón is Spain's fifth highest-circulation general-interest daily newspaper based in Madrid. It is the newest of the five most read, having been founded in 1998 by Luis Maria Ansón....
.
Pre-agreement
On January 21, 2006, Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez ZapateroJosé Luis Rodríguez Zapatero
José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero is a member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party . He was elected for two terms as Prime Minister of Spain, in the 2004 and 2008 general elections. On 2 April 2011 he announced he will not stand for re-election in 2012...
and Catalonian Leader of the Opposition
Opposition (parliamentary)
Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. Note that this article uses the term government as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning the administration or the cabinet rather than the state...
Artur Mas arrived at a pre-agreement about nation definition and financing in the current project of statute.
Final reading
On May 10, 2006, the amended text http://www.gencat.net/nouestatut/cat/estatut_textsenat_cat.pdf passed through its final reading through both Houses of the ParliamentCortes Generales
The Cortes Generales is the legislature of Spain. It is a bicameral parliament, composed of the Congress of Deputies and the Senate . The Cortes has power to enact any law and to amend the constitution...
, with the support of all parties except both the Spanish main opposition party, the conservative People's Party, and the Catalan separatist party Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya
Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya
The Republican Left of Catalonia is a left wing Catalan independentist political party in Spain. It is also the main sponsor of the independence movement from France and Spain in the territories known among Catalan nationalists as Països Catalans...
. The latter voted against the project in the Spanish Congress of Deputies but abstained in the Senate
Spanish Senate
The Senate of Spain is the upper house of Spain's parliament, the . It is made up of 264 members: 208 elected by popular vote, and 56 appointed by the regional legislatures. All senators serve four-year terms, though regional legislatures may recall their appointees at any time.The last election...
(to avoid a blocking vote). ERC voted against it—despite its senior members having had a hand in drafting its content—as a result of the internal tensions within the party which this issue had brought to the surface. Later on both parties, for opposite reasons, supported a no vote in the referendum held afterwards regarding the passing of the new Statute
Catalan constitutional referendum, 2006
A referendum on the new Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia was held in Catalonia, Spain, on June 18, 2006. The referendum was successful and the new statute came into effect on August 9, 2006....
.
Vote
The president of Catalonia, M. Hon. Pasqual MaragallPasqual Maragall i Mira
Pasqual Maragall i Mira is a Catalan politician and was the 127th President of Generalitat de Catalunya . He had previously been Mayor of Barcelona, from 1982 to 1997, and helped run the city's successful Olympic bid....
, decided that Sunday June 18 would be the date on which the text would be put to the Catalan people
Catalan people
The Catalans or Catalonians are the people from, or with origins in, Catalonia that form a historical nationality in Spain. The inhabitants of the adjacent portion of southern France are sometimes included in this definition...
in the form of a referendum
Referendum
A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is asked to either accept or reject a particular proposal. This may result in the adoption of a new constitution, a constitutional amendment, a law, the recall of an elected official or simply a specific government policy. It is a form of...
. The referendum approved the Statute, the "yes" side receiving 74% of votes
Votes
Votes are a people of Votia in Ingria, the part of modern day northwestern Russia that is roughly southwest of Saint Petersburg and east of the Estonian border-town of Narva. Their own ethnic name is Vadjalain . The Finnic Votic language spoken by Votes is close to extinction. Votians were one of...
cast. Voter turnout
Voter turnout
Voter turnout is the percentage of eligible voters who cast a ballot in an election . After increasing for many decades, there has been a trend of decreasing voter turnout in most established democracies since the 1960s...
was 49.41% of the total electorate, an unprecedentedly low figure for this type of vote. The new Statute has been in force since August 9, 2006
External links
- Text of the 2005 Proposal for reform of the new Statute of Autonomy of Catalonia (in PDF)