Catalan president seeks consensus among nationalists

Artur Mas, president of Catalonia autonomous community of Spain, Sunday appealed for consensus among the pro-independence parties.

Mas's decision last week to swap the referendum vote over Catalan independence planned for Nov 9 for a "process of participation by the citizens" with "voting slips and ballot boxes" which would not require drawing up of an electoral census, would consequently serve as little more than a barometer of public opinion.

This move has angered other parties such as Republican Left (ERC) and other pro-independence parties such as CUP and Initiative and what was a cohesive block is now in danger of falling apart, although Mas insists all is not lost, Xinhua reported.

"I am convinced that the political consensus can and must be rebuilt," he said in an interview published in Catalan newspaper El Punt Avui Sunday.

Mas admitted he may have made a mistake swapping the referendum for a non-binding consultation, but added, "maybe the others have made mistakes as well, but now we have to recover", adding that a big turnout Nov 9 was "vital" for the independence process to continue.

"If people do not go to vote, it would shoot the process in the foot," said Mas.