The main secessionist group “Junts pel Si” (Together for Yes) won 62 seats, while the smaller leftist CUP party got another 10, according to official results. Participation was very high by historical standards at over 75%.
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However, for Catalans, the vote, which saw a turnout of 78 percent, showed that the majority are in favor of parties which push for Catalonia to go it alone.
The PP lost eight seats in the Catalan poll, leaving it wiith just eleven MPs in the regional parliament. The EconoTimes content received through this service is the intellectual property of EconoTimes or its third party suppliers.
As a result, we would advise investors to remain cautious about buying Spanish sovereign debt until some clarity emerges over the next steps of the new regional government.
The Spanish constitution does not allow for regions to break away, but the Spanish prime minister says he is still willing to open dialogue with the new Catalan government, where separatist parties hold a majority.
“We won”, said Democratic Convergence of Catalonia party leader Artur Mas speaking to a crowd in Barcelona, the AP reported Sunday. Together, their 72 seats exceeds the 68 out of 135 required to form a parliamentary majority.
Casado called on Mas to resign or help heal the split the push for independence has caused within the region.
Ms Sturgeon said the failed bid for Scottish independence in a legally-binding vote previous year should set an global example of how secessionist votes should be conducted.
In terms of GDP, theirs is the richest region in Spain.
The separatist alliance led by Artur Mas now faces tough negotiations to strike an accord with CUP, an anti-capitalist citizens’ group that does not want Mas to lead the separatist movement.
Catalonia, which produces 20 percent of Spain’s gross domestic product, is an economically healthy region and Barcelona and Madrid aren’t keen on losing it. And neither is Brussels.
Simon said the result “sends a very strong signal to Madrid, telling them they have to put something on the table”.
The votaries of talks argue this is the only practical option available – and if the Spanish government remains stubborn, the separatist majority in Catalonia’s assembly would declare freedom anyway.
Pablo Iglesias from the far-left Podemos party said “Spain needs a president that can listen to the Catalans and I want to be that president“.
‘During three centuries they have robbed us of our culture.
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After a five-year campaign to give Catalans a chance to vote on their constitutional future, Sunday was Mas’s opportunity to prove his claim that most Catalans supported his goals. “I had never voted before because I was disillusioned with politics”.
