Catalonia's date with destiny approaches

Elections for the Catalan parliament will take place on September 27. Yet they will be no ordinary elections, but will serve as a plebiscite on the right to decide Catalonia's future. Thus, the main sovereignty parties (Convergència and Esquerra Republicana), lesser political groups (Més, Reagrupament, Avancem) and the country's main pro-independence civic organisations (Assemblea Nacional and Òmnium Cultural) will stand together on a single electoral list, Junts pel Sí. This coalition, along with the CUP candidacy, are standing on the single issue of sovereignty, so that a vote for any of them is a vote for independence. Above all, these pro-sovereignty groups want to send a message to the international community about the desire for change in Catalonia.

On the other side, though not grouped together, are those who defend remaining part of Spain within the autonomous system: Partit Popular, Ciutadans, PSC and Unió. In the middle, defending self-determination but only with the cooperation of the Spanish government, is a new political group, Catalunya Sí que es Pot, a mix of traditional parties, such as ICV, and emerging forces, such as Podem. The campaign will be intense, as much is at stake: the future of Catalonia and its relationship with the Spanish state.