Catalonia votes in non-binding independence referendum

The people of Catalonia in north-eastern Spain are voting in a disputed and non-binding independence referendum in defiance of the central government in Madrid and Spain’s constitutional court.

The Spanish judiciary had rules the referendum unconstitutional but Catalan leader Artur Mas warned against any attempt to disrupt it, while supporters of Catalonia’s independence have hoped that the a large turnout would pave way for a formal vote.

The ballot asks voters two questions; whether Catalonia should be a state and if so, if it should be an independent state.

Spain Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said the vote would be null and urged a return to sanity and for talks “within the legal framework of the constitution.” Moreover, Rajoy said the vote would be "neither a referendum nor a consultation nor anything of the sort".

Pointing to the country’s constitution, he argued that no region could unilaterally take a decision that would affect all Spaniards.

However, despite Madrid’s warning and the Spanish court’s ruling, the Catalonia independence went ahead, and by noon on Sunday, more than 1.1 million people had voted according to the Catalan government.

Many of those opposed to independence are not expected to participate in the poll.

On Sunday, some 40,000 volunteers set up polling stations in schools and town halls in more than 900 municipalities across the region.

Many of those voting on Sunday morning agreed with Rajoy. Next to polling stations, volunteers collected signatures to send to the European court of human rights in Strasbourg to complain about Madrid’s actions to deny the region a formal referendum on independence.

Independence supporters hope that a strong vote of support will put more pressure on the central government to open negotiations over more tax and political autonomy, ultimately leading to a full-blown independence referendum. They say that support from more than 1.5 million Catalans would add weight to their cause.