Iraqi MP: parliament mulls arrests of Kurdistan secession advocates

September 25, 2017 By administrator

Baghdad (IraqiNews.com) An Iraqi parliament member said Monday that the chamber puts arrests of proponents of Kurdistan’s secession from Iraq as an option in dealing with the divisive referendum.

Hassan Khallati, a member of the Mowaten (citizen) parliamentary bloc, told Alsumaria News that a current referendum held by the autonomous Kurdistan Region violates a recent verdict by Iraq’s federal court which ordered to cancel the vote. He said that overrunning that verdict involves legal consequences.

He said penal measures are considered by a parliament committee formed by the parliament’s speaker to address the referendum, noting that one measure could be “approaching international bodies to arrest whoever endangers the country’s unity and sovereignty”.

Kurds headed to voting stations on Monday to partake in a plebiscite on independence from the central government in Baghdad, a move objected by the Arab-led government in Baghdad, the United Nations, the European Union, the United States and regional powers Iran and Turkey.

Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi has repeatedly vowed to take legal action if Erbil proceeded with the vote.

Kurdistan gained actual autonomous governance based on the 2005 constitution, but is still considered a part of Iraq. The region was created in 1970 based on an agreement with the Iraqi government, ending years of conflicts.

Baghdad and Erbil have for long disputed sovereignty over a number of regions, most notably the oil-rich province of Kirkuk, besides contending over petroleum exports’ revenues from those regions.

Source: https://www.iraqinews.com/baghdad-politics/iraqi-mp-parliament-mulls-arrests-kurdish-secession-advocates/

Germany: Free State of Bavaria? CSU Politician Calls For Secession

November 11, 2015 By administrator

CSU politician Steffen Vogel announced his idea that Bavaria should leave Germany and become independent, Focus-Online reported.

“Bayern should consider making itself independent,” the magazine cited the German politician as saying.

Vogel complained about the fact that other German states often make negative statements about Bayern, but at the same time earn billions as result of the state fiscal equalization.
According to Vogel, Bavaria would do better without Germany.
“Why shouldn’t we strive for independence?” he asked on his Facebook page referring to the case of Scotland.
Recently, there often have been disagreements between Bavarian CSU politicians and the CDU members in the central German government. The reason for this were mostly their different stances towards the current refugee crisis affecting the country.

Resolution to start secession process submitted to Catalan parliament

October 27, 2015 By administrator

Catalonian President Artur Mas arrives to appear in court . referendum on independence © Albert Gea / Reuters

Catalan pro-independence parties have submitted a resolution to the regional parliament proposing that Catalonia splits from Spain. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has said that he would block any independence initiatives.

The Junts pel Si (“Together for Yes”) and Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP) hope that the nine point resolution will be adopted in early November, according to El Pais.

The “democratic mandate based on the result of the elections held on September 27, is aimed at creation of independent and sovereign Catalan state…,” the first article reads according to Reuters.
The second article declares the beginning of the state creation process while the third one initiates an “open, inclusive and active constituent civil process aimed at building a foundation for the future Catalan constitution.”

The document calls on the future government to take all necessary measures for the effective implementation of the resolution which could go as far as to directly disobey decisions made by the Spanish central government and the constitutional court which, according to the new Catalan parliamentary president, Carme Forcadell, has been delegitimized.

Junts pel Si and CUP expressed a will to launch negotiations with Spanish authorities concerning the creation a Catalan republic.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy insists that independence referendums as well as other secessionist steps contradict the Spanish constitution and therefore are illegal.
“The state may use any available judicial and political mechanism contained in the constitution and in the laws to defend the sovereignty of the Spanish people and of the general interest of Spain,” Rajoy said in a short TV statement.

“Those who want to divide and split Catalonia from Spain must know that they will not succeed,” he added.

Despite only containing 16 percent of the country’s population, Catalonia is one of Spain’s richest regions, and produces 20 percent of its GDP which makes its population think that the rest of Spain is an economic burden on them. On September, 27, a coalition of secessionist parties won the Catalan parliamentary elections which were accompanied by mass pro-independence rallies.