Catalonia Announces a Referendum on Independence

Catalonia's announced independence referendum is an open challenge to the Spanish government, but it is also part of a difficult compromise between the members of the autonomous region's fragile ruling coalition. The Catalan government released news of the referendum, scheduled for Nov. 9, 2014, and which Madrid considers illegal, on Dec. 12.

The ambiguous wording of the referendum will likely exacerbate existing fault lines within the Catalan government, enabling Madrid to manage Catalonia's bid for secession. Even if on the surface it looks as if Catalonia is making progress on its path to independence, the situation has only gotten more complicated for the region.