Separatism in Spain is certainly more frequent in Catalonia than in other parts of the country. But surprisingly, a far-left political formation in the neighbouring country has promoted for «the Andalusian Republic», a territory that includes the north of Morocco. On the 4th of December, the date known as Andalusia's first national day, people in the region are commemorating one of the important events in the history of Spain. On the same day, 44 years ago, people went out into the street claiming the same right to autonomy as Catalonia, the Basque country and Galicia. Eventually, Andalusia got the autonomy on the 28th of February 1980, a turning point that marked the period after the reign of Franco. This year, the celebration in Andalusia was marked by the project proposed by «the Andalusian National Assembly» (ANA), a far-left political formation. The latter wants to organize a referendum showing its support for people's right to self-determination and declaring Andalusia's independence «on social media». The ANA followers had indeed supported, through demonstrating in the main cities of the region, the independence of Catalonia. They were, however, less numerous than the Andalusians who had called for the unity of Spain. Northern Morocco as part of the «Andalusian Republic» The dream republic from the ANA crosses the Mediterranean including the north of the Moroccan kingdom. The project intends to integrate the autonomy of the region of Murcian, autonomous community of Spain located in the southeast of the state, between Andalusia and Valencian Communit, Algarve and Alentejo. «Let us recall that the Iberian Peninsula has been part of Andalusia for many centuries. People are defined by their culture and culture has no boundaries», claimed last August the president of the ANA, Pedro Ignacio Altamirano, in an interview where he explained the reasons on which he relies to «legitimize» the positioning of his «republic». «With all that is happening in the Rif, where we have a delegation, people are looking for the independence of Morocco to federate with Andalusia. It may sound crazy but it's true. As for Portugal, we have always considered the Algarve area as part of the Andalusian culture. And it's the same for Murcia.» While explaining his plan, the president of the ANA insisted that his formation is not intending to «invade Morocco or Portugal. We are only launching a call in case we ensure the independence of Andalusia». Contarary to Catalonia, where the economy is booming, the south of Spain is still relying on Madrid to survive, receiving help from Barcelona and the European Union.
