加泰羅尼亞擬舉行獨立公投

Artur Mas, the Catalan president, will tomorrow sign a decree calling an independence referendum in the Spanish region, in a move that sets the government in Barcelona on a collision course with Madrid.

加泰羅尼亞自治區主席阿圖爾•馬斯(Artur Mas)將於明日簽署一項法令，要求在西班牙的這個地區舉行獨立公投，此舉可能令位於巴塞羅那的自治區政府與馬德里走向衝突。

The decree is to be issued on the basis of a referendum law that was passed by an overwhelming majority in the Catalan parliament last Friday. It is expected to trigger a legal challenge from Spain’s central government, which argues that a plebiscite on secession is not allowed under the Spanish constitution.

上週五，加泰羅尼亞議會以壓倒性多數通過公投法案，該法令據此發佈。預計它將引發西班牙中央政府的法律挑戰；中央政府主張，西班牙憲法是不允許獨立公投的。

If it goes ahead, the Catalan plebiscite would take place on November 9, less than two months after a landmark in Scotland that saw 55 per cent of voters reject independence.

如果該法令得以執行，加泰羅尼亞公投將於11月9日舉行，也就是在里程碑式的蘇格蘭獨立公投之後還不到兩個月；蘇格蘭公投的結果是55%的選民拒絕獨立。

After the Scottish vote, in an unmistakable allusion to Catalonia, Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy congratulated the Scots on voting to stay in the UK and observed that the referendum campaign had been conducted “with scrupulous respect for the law of the country”.

蘇格蘭公投結束後，西班牙首相馬里亞諾•拉霍伊(Mariano Rajoy)發表了明顯對加泰羅尼亞意有所指的言論，對蘇格蘭人選擇留在英國表示祝賀，並評述道，這場公投之前的宣傳活動“嚴格遵守了國家法律”。

The move by Mr Mas marks an escalation in a long-simmering conflict between Madrid and one of Spain’s most prosperous regions. Surveys show that a large majority of Catalans are in favour of holding a referendum on the region’s political future, though surveys differ on how many want a break with Spain.

馬斯的舉動標誌着馬德里與西班牙最繁華的地區之一之間長期緊張的衝突升級。民調顯示，絕大多數加泰羅尼亞人贊成對該地區政治前途舉行公投，雖然調查結果在多少人贊成脫離西班牙方面有所分歧。

The referendum scheduled for November 9 would be non-binding, unlike the plebiscite in Scotland. But Catalan leaders regard the planned vote as a crucial springboard towards independence all the same – arguing that it would help force Madrid into negotiations about a peaceful separation.

與蘇格蘭公投不同，這場定於11月9日舉行的公投將不具約束力。但加泰羅尼亞領導人仍將公投視爲走向獨立的關鍵跳板，稱這將有助於迫使馬德里方面坐到和平分離的談判桌前。