The president of Catalonia has signed a decree calling for an independence referendum in the Spanish region. The vote is scheduled for November 9th but will be met with strong opposition from the conservative Spanish government in Madrid, which says any vote on independence is illegal.

The region has long called for independence and maintains its own language and culture – most notable to many outsiders through the strong Catalan identity of Barcelona Football Club.

Polls show the Catalan population are heavily in favour of a referendum on independence. Economic hardship of recent years has added to the support for the independence movement in the region as the typically 3economically strong region feels it is not receiving the appropriate level of financial and political support from Madrid.

The Spanish government plans to challenge the vote before the constitutional court. The Spanish constitution insists all votes on sovereignty must include the entire population of Spain, and believes the constitutional court will rule the vote illegal on these grounds.