(Angus Reid Global Monitor) - The majority of people in Spain reject holding a vote on the Basque Country’s ties with the rest of Spain, according to a poll by Instituto Opina released by Cadena Ser. 62.4 per cent of respondents oppose the initiative proposed by Basque Country president Juan José Ibarretxe, and 58.1 per cent think the Spanish government should do everything it can to stop the vote from happening.

In November 1975, Juan Carlos I officially became Spain’s monarch following the death of dictator Francisco Franco. Juan Carlos oversaw the European nation’s transition into democratic rule. Several Spanish regions—including Catalonia, Valencia, Galicia and the Basque Country—now enjoy a large degree of autonomy.

In October 2003, Ibarretxe released a document that aims to redefine the area’s relationship with Spain. The most debated topic in the proposal calls for the Basque Country to attain a special status as an "associated state" of Spain, rather than as a community.

On Jun. 27, the Basque Country regional assembly voted in favour of holding a public vote on the area’s self-determination status within Spain. The vote would also include a question on whether the government should hold peace negotiations with the separatist armed group Basque Motherland and Liberty (ETA).

Ibarretxe has said the vote, which would take place in October, will be a public "consultation" on the region’s status, but the Spanish government has repeatedly stated that the process amounts to a referendum on independence, which is barred by the constitution.

Spanish president José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero said his government would put pressure on Ibarretxe to call off the vote, saying, "I won’t get into judging this move in terms of trust or mistrust, because it is simply illegal. (...) I say to the Lehendakari [Basque president] that what is most divisive is not respecting constitutional order and the law, because democracy is about playing by the rules."

Polling Data

Basque Country president Juan José Ibarretxe has announced that a public consultation in the area’s self-determination will take place. Do you support or oppose this initiative?

Do you think the Spanish government should do everything it can to prevent the public consultation on the Basque Country’s self-determination from taking place?

Source: Instituto Opina / Cadena Ser
Methodology: Telephone interviews with 1,000 Spanish adults, conducted on Jun. 26, 2008. Margin of error is 3.1 per cent.

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