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According to an initial projection, the separatist parties have regained the majority of votes and seats in parliament in the parliamentary elections in Catalonia. However, as a single party, the socialists who oppose independence could have received the most votes, the electoral authority announced after 83 percent of the votes were counted on Sunday night.
The socialist PSOE that governs in Madrid, which in Catalonia is called PSC, could have almost 24 percent of the votes and between 33 and 34 seats in the regional parliament of Barcelona. The ERC came in second with a good 21 percent. The fact that it may still have 33 seats is due to the fact that votes from rural regions with a more separatist electorate outweigh votes from big cities like Barcelona. In third place is the separatist JuntsxCat with just over 19 percent and 32 seats. In addition, there is the left-wing CUP in the separatist camp with around 6.5 percent and 9 seats.
Spain’s largest opposition party, the conservative Popular Party, came in last with around 3.7 percent and only 3 seats remained and was overtaken by right-wing populist Vox, who came out of the box with almost 8 percent and 11 seats. . Liberal Ciudadanos fell to 5.5 percent and 6 seats. United We Can, which ruled in Madrid with the Socialists and is called En Comú Podem in Catalonia, was able to maintain approximately its 2017 result and obtained almost 7 percent and 8 seats, as before.
Of the 5.6 million eligible voters, only a good 50 percent cast their vote because of the Crown. In the last election of 2017, it was around 79 percent.
Socialists against secession, but open to negotiations
The latest attempt to impose independence against the will of the central government failed when the region briefly resigned from Spain after a referendum, which is not provided for in the constitution. Catalonia was quickly put under administration by Madrid. The leaders fled to Belgium, like then-regional president Carles Puigdemont, or were sentenced to long prison terms.
According to the newspaper »La Vanguardia«, the result of the elections will have repercussions throughout Spain. If the forecast confirms the ERC as the party with the most seats, the more moderate forces in the separatist camp would be strengthened. It is true that all the separatist parties gave written guarantees before the elections that they would not make a pact with the socialists of Illa. But it remains to be seen how sustainable this vote will be if the separatists fail to reach an agreement and the specter of a new election emerges.
