Catalan independence referendums, 2009–11

The Catalan independence referendums, a series of non-binding and unofficial referendums, "popular votes" (consultes populars), took place in municipalities around Catalonia. In them voters indicated whether they supported Catalan independence from Spain. The first such referendum took place in Arenys de Munt on 13 September 2009: there followed votes in Sant Jaume de Frontanyà on 12 December and in 166 other municipalities on 13 December. Another vote ensued in April 2011 in Barcelona.

Provisional figures for the 13 December vote suggest a turnout of around 200,000 (30% of those eligible to vote).

The referendum in Arenys de Munt was called by the municipality following a motion in the town council by councillors from the Popular Unity Candidates (CUP). It came a time of growing frustration in "catalanist" circles at the delays in implementing the Statute of Autonomy of 2006. In particular, more than one-third of the provisions of the Statute had been appealed to the Constitutional Court of Spain by the People's Party, the largest opposition party in the Cortes Generales (Spanish parliament). More than three years later, the Constitutional Court had still not decided the case, with the ten judges in an unprecedented and increasingly politicised deadlock.

The relative success of the vote in Arenys de Munt, with a turnout of 41% and despite the efforts of the Spanish government to prevent the referendum, led to similar movements appearing in other Catalan municipalities. Given the difficulties of organising a vote without official support, the consultations were not all programmed for the same day: it had been hoped to organise votes in October 2009, but the date of 13 December was chosen for the next round of voting in 167 municipalities (Sant Jaume de Frontanyà, the smallest municipality in Catalonia with just 21 voters, decided to advance the poll by one day).

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