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Artur Mas, the Catalan president, will tomorrow sign a decree calling an independence referendum in the Spanish region, in a move that sets the government in Barcelona on a collision course with Madrid.
加泰罗尼亚自治区主席阿图尔•马斯(Artur Mas)将于明日签署一项法令，要求在西班牙的这个地区举行独立公投，此举可能令位于巴塞罗那的自治区政府与马德里走向冲突。
The decree is to be issued on the basis of a referendum law that was passed by an overwhelming majority in the Catalan parliament last Friday. It is expected to trigger a legal challenge from Spain’s central government, which argues that a plebiscite on secession is not allowed under the Spanish constitution.
上周五，加泰罗尼亚议会以压倒性多数通过公投法案，该法令据此发布。预计它将引发西班牙中央政府的法律挑战；中央政府主张，西班牙宪法是不允许独立公投的。
If it goes ahead, the Catalan plebiscite would take place on November 9, less than two months after a landmark in Scotland that saw 55 per cent of voters reject independence.
如果该法令得以执行，加泰罗尼亚公投将于11月9日举行，也就是在里程碑式的苏格兰独立公投之后还不到两个月；苏格兰公投的结果是55%的选民拒绝独立。
After the Scottish vote, in an unmistakable allusion to Catalonia, Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy congratulated the Scots on voting to stay in the UK and observed that the referendum campaign had been conducted “with scrupulous respect for the law of the country”.
苏格兰公投结束后，西班牙首相马里亚诺•拉霍伊(Mariano Rajoy)发表了明显对加泰罗尼亚意有所指的言论，对苏格兰人选择留在英国表示祝贺，并评述道，这场公投之前的宣传活动“严格遵守了国家法律”。
The move by Mr Mas marks an escalation in a long-simmering conflict between Madrid and one of Spain’s most prosperous regions. Surveys show that a large majority of Catalans are in favour of holding a referendum on the region’s political future, though surveys differ on how many want a break with Spain.
马斯的举动标志着马德里与西班牙最繁华的地区之一之间长期紧张的冲突升级。民调显示，绝大多数加泰罗尼亚人赞成对该地区政治前途举行公投，虽然调查结果在多少人赞成脱离西班牙方面有所分歧。
The referendum scheduled for November 9 would be non-binding, unlike the plebiscite in Scotland. But Catalan leaders regard the planned vote as a crucial springboard towards independence all the same – arguing that it would help force Madrid into negotiations about a peaceful separation.
与苏格兰公投不同，这场定于11月9日举行的公投将不具约束力。但加泰罗尼亚领导人仍将公投视为走向独立的关键跳板，称这将有助于迫使马德里方面坐到和平分离的谈判桌前。
