Nationalists win majority in Catalonia parliament, vowing separation from Spain

On Sunday, Catalonia's pro-independence parties won a 72-seat majority in the Spanish region's 135-seat parliament, leading the main separatist coalition to claim a democratic mandate for declaring independence from Spain. The main Junts pel Si ("Together for Yes" in Catalan) coalition, made up of the region's two largest nationalist parties, won 62 seats, while the leftist CUP party — which favors independence but opposes some of the ruling pro-independence party's economic policies — won 10 seats.

Parties opposed to independence noted that the Catalan nationalists only got 47.8 percent of the vote, not a majority, undermining their claim of a popular mandate for unilateral independence. And analysts say that despite Junts pel Si's plan to declare independence in 18 months — complete with with a Catalan constitution, central bank, and armed forces — the most likely outcome is negotiations with a Spanish central government opposed to greater independence.

"Many have voted for Junts pel Si even if they don't favor secession because they saw the vote as a blank cartridge," Spanish pollster Jose Pablo Ferrandiz tells Reuters, "and a way to gain a stronger position ahead of a negotiation" with Madrid. Pablo Casado, a spokesman for Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's conservative Popular Party, said Sunday night that "we will continue to guarantee legality and the unity of Spain." Spain holds national elections in about two months.

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Before the votes were counted, the BBC explained the importance of Catalonia's push for independence. You can watch below. Peter Weber