Two separatist parties have joined forces, and are aiming to secure a majority of seats in parliament - 68 out of 135.
They say this would allow them to unilaterally declare independence within 18 months.
The central government in Madrid has pledged to block in court such moves.
Polls suggest a majority of Catalans favour a referendum on independence but are evenly divided over whether they want to secede.
More than five million people are eligible to cast their votes.
The ruling Convergencia party of Catalan leader Artur Mas and Esquerra Republicana have created a single list of candidates - under the banner "Together for Yes".
They say that Sunday's vote is a de facto referendum on independence from Spain.
They argue that the Spanish government has consistently refused to allow a legally recognised referendum, ignoring an unofficial vote backing independence in November 2014.
The anti-independence vote in Catalonia is split between a number of groups, including Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's Popular Party.
The centre-right government in Madrid has described any breakaway plans as "a nonsense".
Mr Rajoy argues that because the loss of Catalonia would affect all of Spain, the democratic approach would be for all of the country to vote in a referendum on Catalonia's future.
At the same time, if "Together for Yes" fails to gain a majority it would be tantamount to a serious defeat for the pro-independence movement.
BBC
27/9/15
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More than 5.5 million of Catalonia's 7.5 million inhabitants were eligible to vote at nearly 2,700 polling stations across the region....
ReplyDeleteA pro-independence alliance led by regional president Artur Mas has vowed to proceed towards a declaration of independence by 2017 if it secures a majority in the regional parliament, even if it manages to do so without a majority of votes.
Spain's central government brands secession illegal and has called for the country to stay united as the eurozone's fourth-biggest economy recovers from recession.
Madrid says Catalonia would drop out of the European Union and eurozone if it broke away from Spain.
"Catalonia decides its future in Europe," ran Sunday's front-page headline in the centre-right national daily El Mundo.
"The future of Catalonia is at stake," said Catalan daily La Vanguardia while centre-left national El Pais declared the ballots "historic" on its front page.........france24.com
Pro-independence parties in Spain's Catalonia region have won an absolute majority in regional elections, near complete results show...
ReplyDeleteWith nearly 100% of the votes counted, the main separatist alliance and a smaller party won 72 seats in the 135-seat regional parliament.
They said earlier a majority would allow them to declare independence from Spain unilaterally within 18 months.
The central government in Madrid has pledged to block such moves in court.....BBC