Catalonian 'nation' votes for more autonomy

Catalonia has voted for sweeping new powers that will redefine the cultural and financial relationship of Spain's richest region with Madrid.

"In a certain sense, it is a coming of age, it is the day in which Catalonia can define itself with full consciousness," Pasqual Maragall, the Socialist head of the regional government, said after casting his vote.

Five million Catalans were eligible to vote in yesterday's referendum on a new statute that would give Catalonia a greater slice of its income tax revenues, more of a say on immigration policies and stronger linguistic guarantees.

The document controversially refers to the region as a "nation" while falling short of a demand for independence.

With 91 per cent of the votes counted, 74 per cent of voters approved the blueprint, and just under 21 per cent said no. Turnout was about 49 per cent.

The nationalist Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya rejected the new statute for demanding too little. The right-wing Partido Popular said it regarded such developments as undermining the unity of Spain itself.

The new statute has seen overwhelming support from Catalans, but even for those voting in favour there were questions to be answered. More than half of Spaniards rejected the plan.

"Yes, it's great for more self-government, but do newcomers really want their kids to learn Catalan? My heart is divided," said Miguel Hernandez, a computer programmer from Hospitalet, near Barcelona.

Joan Vallverdu revealed his doubts: "I can see so many reasons for voting 'yes' or 'no' ... but those in favour take precedence."

Joel Llanca, a teenage student from the nationalistic Gracia district, voted "yes". "For me Catalonia is a country, but we will never get self-government, so this is a step forward," he said.

Others felt less comfortable with accepting what is seen by many as a weak compromise. "This is worth nothing," Lluis Comas said. "It's been so decimated that it's the same or worse, and people supposedly from the left sell this rubbish as if it was something marvellous." His main fear, like that of most nationalist voters, was that a "yes" vote would make future changes difficult.

Manel Novo, a supporter of the centre-left party which promoted the new statute, said he had voted in favour because, like most Catalans, he was happy with the idea of a federal Spain. "Choosing between independence or the right-wing idea of a united Spain, I would choose independence. But I don't want to choose, I just want to get on with Madrid," he said.

A "yes" vote would be seen as a victory for the government of Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, which supports the proposal and has been inclined to give more autonomy to the already powerful regions. Since the birth of the Catalan statute, similar moves to confer degrees of national status on Andalucia and Galicia have appeared.

The new powers would overhaul a 30-year-old charter that granted Catalonia a large degree of self-rule. The vote is binding and final. If the charter passes, it becomes law because it has already been approved by the Spanish parliament.