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Catalans to push for secession after local elections victory
A poll victory may spell a crucial moment for the future of Catalonia.
By Hannah Strange
Barcelona: Catalonia's pro-independence coalition on Sunday night pledged to press ahead with plans to declare unilateral independence from Spain, buoyed by success in a regional election which early polling results showed them winning clearly.
Exit polls for the vote for the regional parliament showed pro-independence parties winning a clear majority and enough for the mandate they say they sought for secession.
To triumphant shouts of "Independence!", Francesc Homs, a Catalan government minister, hailed the coalition's apparent majority in front of supporters gathered in the Born neighbourhood of Barcelona.
"We have a historic turnout and it seems ... we will also have a majority for independence. We have done it!"
Catalan regional president Artur Mas celebrates following the result of the Catalonian parliamentary election in Barcelona.Credit: Bloomberg
Billed by politicians on both sides of the divide as a crucial moment in the future of Catalonia – and with it of Spain and even Europe – the election saw a record-breaking turnout with more than 63 per cent of Catalonia's 5.5 million voters having cast their ballots by 6pm, almost seven points higher than in the last regional elections in 2012.
It was an emotional day for independence supporters, who proclaimed it the culmination of years of struggle for self-determination.
At the Infant Jesus School polling station in the Gracia neighbourhood of Barcelona, hundreds of voters crammed into a small hall as Artur Mas, the Catalan regional president, arrived to cast his ballot. Elderly people arrived on walking sticks, crutches and in wheelchairs, partly just to catch a glimpse of the man they credit for bringing them to a historic moment in Catalonia's long push for independence.
Mr Mas defied increasingly trenchant warnings from Madrid to hold this de facto independence vote, which Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy dismissed as unconstitutional.
Catalan regional president Artur Mas (centre) celebrates as the Catalan coalition Junts pel Si (Together for the Yes) claims victory in the regional elections in Catalonia.Credit: Getty Images
He insists that a majority for his pro-independence coalition Junts pel Si (Together for Yes) and its allies, the Leftist CUP, will enable him to start an 18-month secession process in which Catalonia will begin setting up state institutions.
Catalan officials say they hope the Madrid government will come to the negotiating table in that time, but if not, say they are ready to take action unilaterally.
An "Estelada" or pro independence flag flies near the Catalan regional president Artur Mas (left) and Oriol Junqueras, president of the Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya party in Barcelona. Credit: AP
"Today is a victory for democracy," Mr Mas told the crowd in Gracia.
Surrounded by flashing cameras and a thronging crowd, one woman, Elena Carceller, burst into tears as she hugged Mr Mas, saying afterwards she was overwhelmed at meeting the leader she considered an inspiration to Catalonia.
"On Tuesday I start chemotherapy, but for me it was so important to vote," she said. "I just wanted to vote and to vote for him. Since I was born I have never felt Spanish, I have always felt Catalan and now it is my moment."
At one point, tensions spilled over into aggression as a group of young anti-independence protesters brandishing Spanish flags surrounded Mr Mas. Some were quickly tackled to the ground or pushed out of side entrances by his supporters.
Olga Jimenez, a self-employed 51-year-old who voted for an anti-independence party, said she feared the vote would bring Catalonia problems.
She referred to warnings from Madrid that an independent Catalonia would be excluded from the European Union. "I believe in the European Union – this is very important," she said.
Many Catalans argue that the region, an economic powerhouse, pays more to Madrid than it gets back, and that the Rajoy government has cut its powers of autonomy and tried to limit the use of Catalan. Madrid dismisses such claims, saying Mr Mas is stirring nationalism to distract from his own political and economic failings.
Telegraph, London