Monarchy or republic? Forty Catalan cities vote on May 14

Residents of around forty cities in Catalonia will be able to participate in a non-binding vote on the future of the Spanish state on May 14.

Organized by the Monarchy or Republic Popular Consultation Platform and to be held in municipalities across Spain, the group calls for the Spanish government to allow for a legally binding referendum on the matter.

There will be over 140 voting sites in Catalonia, most of which will be in the Barcelona area, while there will be around 1,000 all over Spain. Spanish citizens over the age of 16 will also be able to vote from abroad in cities such as Brussels, London, or Paris. 

Encarna López, a member of the group behind the non-binding vote, described the inability to decide whether Spain should be a monarchy or a republic evidence of the country's "democratic deficit."

"It's already 2022. We should be allowed to decide if we want a monarchy or a republic," she argued.

The Monarchy or Republic Popular Consultation Platform, which says it is a "neutral" organization that does not campaign either way, hopes this non-binding vote will put pressure on Madrid to hold one with legally enforceable results.