Catalan leader justifies the plebiscite as “self-defense” – El Universal (Venezuela)

Barcelona, ​​España.- Artur Mas Tuesday defended the character plebiscite on the independence of Catalonia grants the elections convened 27 September in the northeastern region of Spain: “When you are attacked, you have the right to self-defense,” he said in Barcelona

One day after signing the decree. 14 months ahead in regional elections, Mas chose a military vocabulary to justify its intention to convert into a plebiscite, a figure that Spanish law does not provide and which replace the self-determination referendum that Mariano Rajoy refused to allow , reviewed DPA.

“This election is intended to be able to answer that question whether the citizens of Catalonia want it to be a state, and an independent state,” Mas said.

The Spanish State and the Government of Rajoy, complained, have been removing rights and self-government in Catalonia, along with tools to address itself the economic crisis that hit in recent years Spain . “The more tools it needed to fight the crisis, most us have taken,” he reiterated.

If the candidacy of unity that has sponsored the independence Republicans ERC and the main secessionist associations get majority support in the polls on September 27, will take legal and institutional measures for eight months and proclaim unilaterally the independence of the region, where 7.5 million people live.

Tuesday unveiled one of the biggest unknowns in the face of these elections: the support he will feel supported to undertake secession. “Up From 68 deputies will it earned itself (independence),” he said. The Catalan Parliament has 135 seats.

In previous Catalan elections, the party of Mas and two independent forces, ERC and CUP, totaled 74 deputies, although recently the Catalan nationalist party joined the federation broke for over three decades settled the match Mas, CDC, for its refusal to process the Catalan secessionist president.

The Catalan leader takes the number of MEPs for reference and not the of votes. With the electoral system may be the case of an absolute majority in the regional parliament without an absolute majority. “If we could have it to a referendum would have counted the votes, but now we have to have deputies,” he said.