Intrades.org
More Autonomy Approved for Catalonia:Posted By: Jim Thatcher By MAR ROMAN, Associated Press Writer MADRID, Spain - Spain's lower house of parliament approved a divisive proposal Thursday to grant greater autonomy to Catalonia and boost the wealthy region's tax collecting and judicial powers.The Catalan proposal was approved 189-154 with two abstentions in the 350-seat chamber, a result greeted with a resounding applause by most of the chamber's deputies. The charter will now pass to the Senate for further debate and possible amendment. It must later be approved by the Catalan parliament and put out to vote in the region. The leading right-of-center opposition Popular Party voted against the charter, as did the small Catalan Republican Left group, which favors complete independence. Deputy Prime Minister Maria Teresa Fernandez de la Vega, said in Congress the charter would help modernize the Spanish nation. "This text builds a stronger Spain," she said. The Popular Party, however, maintained its opposition to the charter, with party leader Mariano Rajoy describing it as "a time bomb" that could lead to the region's secession from Spain. "It's the beginning of the end of the state Spaniards drew up in 1978," Rajoy said, referring to the year the Spanish Constitution was approved. The charter, which refers to the north eastern region as "a nation," provides that Catalonia will get a larger share of income tax revenues, valued tax and taxes on gasoline and tobacco. Regional authorities would also have a greater say over the court system, which in the rest of Spain is under the jurisdiction of the Spanish government. If approved by Senate, the charter would then go to the regional parliament of Catalonia, where it would have 10 days to win approval. It would then be put to vote in Catalonia, after which it could return to Madrid for ratification as law. The Basque region saw its proposal for more self-rule voted down in parliament last year. Agreement, meanwhile, has already been reached on a new charter proposal for the less-nationalist region of Valencia. Courtesy Of: Yahoo! News The information reported above is property of Yahoo! inc. and reprinted or modified with legitimate permission. We thank Yahoo! inc. for the kind cooperation with us and other shareholders. |
|
Bookmark | Contact Us | Search
Copyright ©2005-2009 MAS Network