2016 for Spain begins in chaos. A chaos greater than that which characterized the last eleven days of 2015, marked by the play of forces between the various national parties following the result of the national elections of 20 December, in which Mariano Rajoy's Popular Party failed to win the absolute majority, leaving Moncloa prey to ungovernability. But if Madrid cries, Barcelona doesn't laugh.
The independence dream of Catalonia is getting further and further away. After the decision taken by the Cup not to support the outgoing president Artur Mas, preventing him from forming a government that would pave the way for secession, the latter could definitively have turned into utopia, while citizens will have to return to the polls again next March to decide the name of the one who will be called to lead the Generalitat.
So everything has to be redone and this time the road risks turning into a dead end. Replicating the results of the September elections will be extremely difficult. In the electoral session four months ago, which was presented to the Catalans as a real referendum to express their voice on the separation from Spain, Junt pel Sì, the list led by Mas obtained 62 seats. The absolute majority would have been achieved if, respecting the agreements made previously, the Cup had given its support to the president, leading the pro-independence front to win 72 seats out of 135. But the No of the far-left party decided during a summit held yesterday reshuffles the cards on the table. At this point, the Catalan Parliament is already condemned and on January 10th it will face dissolution.
Although the Cup has asked him to take a step back, Mas will try again in the elections to be held next March, but confirming the success of September, when the parties in favor of the independence of Catalonia (Junt pel Si, Cup and the republican left) had joined forces to obtain the desired result, seems almost impossible.
While the nation continues to wonder whether Spain will be able to have a government by January 13, Barcelona already has a certainty: independent Catalonia will have to wait, at least for 2016.
