Pro-independence parties have won Catalonia's regional election, giving them, they believe, a mandate to begin the process of breaking away from Spain but also deepening the country's political crisis.
Nationalists had used this election as a plebiscite on independence. Catalan premier Artur Mas set a majority of seats in the regional parliament as his goal in order to push ahead with a roadmap that would see the creation of an independent state by 2017.
His pro-independence coalition, Junts pel Sí (or Together for Yes), was the clear winner yesterday. Although it fell short of the 68 seats needed for a majority, the strong performance of another separatist party, the Popular Unity Candidacy, means that together they can control the parliament.
“The ‘Yes’ vote has won, but so has democracy,” Mr Mas told supporters gathered in Barcelona as the results came in.
The Spanish central government has warned it will block any moves towards independence by using the legal system. However, Mr Mas has defied the courts before and the result is likely to further heighten tensions between Catalonia and Madrid.
Prime minister Mariano Rajoy’s conservative Popular Party performed poorly, seeing its representation in the Catalan parliament halved. By contrast, Ciudadanos, a relatively new force on the right which opposes independence, came in a strong second.
It was a difficult night for parties caught between the separatist and unionist poles. Catalunya Sí que es Pot (Catalonia yes we can), a leftist coalition backed by anti-austerity party Podemos, failed to make the impact it had planned.
