MADRID (Sputnik) — The vote was initiated by Gure Esku Dago (It's in our hands) group, the organizers told RIA Novosti. Around 37,000 voted in the poll that was conducted in 34 municipalities. The region’s total population is over 2 million.
Slightly over 95 percent of those sampled said "yes" to whether they wanted to be citizens of a sovereign/ independent Basque Country.
Basque Country: a people in motion to become owners of our destiny! pic.twitter.com/xbVA5VzGJC
— urko aiartza (@uaiartza) 5 июня 2016 г.
The group’s leaders, Angel Oiarbide and Zelai Nikolás, praised the vote as "historic," saying it was "the first step to a referendum."
"We are on the way toward a referendum. And we will continue working in this direction. Today is a historic day," the organization said in a statement.
The Basque Country is in France and Spain @aitordelgadocom The map shows the regions and their capitals pic.twitter.com/vzWI9v8H5N
— Aitor Delgado Tours (@aitordelgadocom) 18 февраля 2016 г.
The Basque Country has followed in the footsteps of Catalonia, a well-off Spanish region which has held dozens of local votes on whether it should leave Spain in the past years. Madrid has called all of them unconstitutional.
