Home Business NewsSpain watches as Catalans go to the polls

Spain watches as Catalans go to the polls

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21st Dec 17 11:56 am

Voting in regional snap elections begin to solve political crisis

The people of Catalonia have started going to the polls from this morning in a closely-watched regional election called by Spain.

However, all poll indications suggest that the result will be very close. According to a BBC correspondent, there seems little prospect that the election will solve the regionโ€™s political crisis.

Todayโ€™s snap election is being held after it was ordered by the Spanish government following a controversial independence referendum in October. The Spanish government seized control of the region, sacked its leader and cabinet, and dissolved the regional parliament following a declaration of independence by lawmakers.

To minimise the backlash, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy had immediately called a new election.

An alliance between ousted leader Carles Puigdemontโ€™s party and Esquerra Republicana broke down last month. Oriol Junqueras, Esquerraโ€™s leader and Cataloniaโ€™s former vice president, remains in jail in Madrid along with three other leading separatists.

Junqueras mailed his ballot from a jail near Madrid, his left-republican ERC party said earlier this week

The polling stations opened at 09:00 local time and will close at 20:00, with the first official results expected shortly.

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