Voters in Spain’s Catalonia region cast ballots on Sunday to decide if pro-secession parties will get a majority in the regional parliament and a mandate to push for independence or whether they will fall short in an outcome that would probably quell secessionist fervour for years.
Secessionists have long pushed for an independence referendum, but Spain’s central government refused to allow it saying such a vote would be unconstitutional. So the pro-independence parties pitched the vote for regional parliamentary seats as a de facto plebiscite.
“Today is a great win for democracy in Catalonia,” said Artur Mas, Catalonia’s regional leader, after he cast his vote. “We have surpassed all the obstacles placed by the Spanish government. Now, Catalonia faces its own destiny.” Sunday’s election is for Catalonia’s 135-member Parliament, located in the region’s capital Barcelona. By early afternoon, around 35 percent of those eligible to vote had cast their ballots, more than 5 percent more than in the previous regional election, the government said. Regional spokeswoman Meritxell Borras said postal votes cast by Catalans living overseas could also have an important impact on the results.
