MADRID: The regional leader of Spain’s Basque Country, where nationalist sentiments run high, urged Madrid on Sunday to allow independence referendums like those held in Scotland and Quebec.

The comments by Inigo Urkullu come as Cata­lonia’s separatist leaders plan to hold a referendum banned by Madrid on Oct 1, although whether this will happen remains to be seen given the measures taken by Spain’s central government and the courts to stop it.

“In the eyes of the world, the Spanish government is part of the problem and not the solution,” Urkullu told members of his Basque Nationalist Party (PNV) near Vitoria in northern Spain.

Judges and prosecutors have fined and detained key members of the team organising the vote, and threatened to charge people who organised protests last week with sedition.

Police have seized close to 10 million ballot papers as well as other items for the referendum.

Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2017