Spain celebrates the 39th anniversary of its Constitution in a sovereign crisis

USPA NEWS - Spain celebrated on Wednesday the 39th anniversary of the Constitution of 1978, in the middle of an independence crisis unprecedented in the recent history of the country. Never as now have all the Spanish capitals seen as many flags as now, except when in 2010 the National Soccer Team won the World Cup.

The sport has been the one that has traditionally united the Spanish. Until, last October, politics took its place. The attempt of the Catalan authorities to declare the unilateral independence of their territory aroused the patriotism of the Spaniards, who lost the fear of hanging the national flag from their windows. And that red and yellow landscape presided over this Wednesday the holiday of the Constitution. 39 years have passed since, in 1978, the Spaniards approved in referendum the Constitution, the law of laws that organizes since then the Spanish political life. A questioned Constitution, always under the threat of reforms that do not materialize, imperfect but capable of holding together all of Spain.

A large Spanish flag presides over this day in the central Columbus Square in Madrid and the Parliament opened its doors to allow citizens to know where the laws are made and approved. This year, more than any other, long lines of Spaniards have endured the intense cold that these days punishes Madrid to visit the Parliament. And in all the capitals of the country acts of homage to the Constitution were held.

All this is the popular response to the Catalan attempt to break Spain. Despite the fact that the conservative Government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy took control of the Catalan institutions and the main leaders of this region of Northeastern Spain are being detained or escaped, the elections called for December 21 in Catalonia are an unknown. The polls predict that the left Republicans (ERC) will win the elections, but followed very closely and, even, technically tied with the centrist Citizens party. The independentists could lose the absolute majority, but the polls are only polls and do not necessarily have to coincide with the final result of the elections.

The secessionist attempt has awakened the sleeping Spaniards, those who did not demonstrate or go to vote. Today, the Spain that wants the political and territorial unity of the country takes to the streets and announces that it will vote en masse against Catalan independence. This Wednesday, those same Spaniards dressed their windows with flags and flocked to all the acts that, throughout the country, were convened to pay homage to the Constitution of 1978.