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Spain s Catalonia Holds Key Vote Under Cloud Of Pandemic By Daniel BOSQUE
02/13/21 AT 9:17 PM
Catalonia goes to the polls Sunday for an election Madrid hopes will unseat the region s ruling separatists more than three years after a failed bid to break away from Spain.
But the vote could see a high level of abstentions as Spain battles a third wave of the pandemic.
Regional authorities ramped up restrictions to slow soaring case numbers after the Christmas holidays and while the situation has slightly improved, the figures are still high.
When the polls open at 0800 GMT on Sunday, about 5.5 million voters will be eligible to cast their ballots.
Updated / Sunday, 14 Feb 2021
22:28
The Socialists were set to win 33 seats, up from 17 in the last election when it finished fourth
Separatist parties boosted their majority in Catalonia s regional parliament in an election today, more than three years after a failed bid to break away from Spain, partial results showed.
With roughly 75% of votes counted, Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez s Socialists captured the most votes but the three separatist parties were set to get 74 seats in the 135-seat assembly which would allow them to continue to govern the wealthy north-eastern region.
That is up from 70 seats won in the last election in December 2017, just months after Catalonia s failed secession bid which led to the jailing of several separatist leaders.
Separatist parties have boosted their majority in #Catalonia’s parliament, although the pro-union Socialist Party claimed a narrow win in elections held amid a third wave of #coronavirus.