Catalan separatists show resilience despite setbacks
The separatist movement in Spain’s northeast Catalonia has increased its power in regional elections on the weekend despite years of frustrated ambitions to create a new Mediterranean nation
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.The separatist movement in Spain’s northeast Catalonia has shown resilience, increasing its power in a regional election on the weekend despite years of frustrated ambitions to create a new Mediterranean nation.
On the back of a record low turnout in Sunday's vote, the three main parties who want to create a Catalan state expanded their majority in the regional parliament based in Barcelona to 74 seats of the 135-seat chamber, up from 70 in 2017.
The strong result for the separatists comes after their 2017 bid for a breakaway ended with several of its leaders in jail, others fleeing abroad from Spanish justice, and the entrenchment of roughly half of Catalonia that strongly supports staying in Spain.
Virus fears kept many voters at home, especially in urban areas that trend toward voting for pro-union parties.
The impact of the election was felt in Madrid. While the Socialists of Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez got a boost after they won the elections with the most votes, the parties on the right of Spain’s political spectrum were shaken.
The far-right Vox party with its unabashed hardline stance against Catalan secession and illegal immigration, confirmed its ascendancy by entering the Catalan parliament with an impressive 11 seats.
The liberal Citizens collapsed from 36 to just 6 seats, putting its future as a party in doubt.
The traditional conservatives, the Popular Party, also slid down to just three seats despite the campaign efforts of opposition leader Pablo Casado.