Catalans casting their votes in regional parliamentary polls
People in Catalonia have started voting in regional parliamentary elections, which could take the autonomous region a step closer to independence from Spain.
Polling stations opened at 9:00 a.m. local time (0700 GMT) and will close at 20:00 p.m. local time (1800 GMT) on Sunday.
Over five million people are reportedly eligible to cast their ballots in the upcoming polls.
The ruling Convergencia party of Catalonia's President Artur Mas and the pro-independence party, Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, led by Oriol Junqueras, have created a single list of candidates - under the banner “Together for Yes.”
They have vowed to declare independence from Spain within 18 months if they secure a majority of seats in the 135-strong regional assembly.
On Saturday, tens of thousands of people in the Spanish city of Barcelona took part in a massive march to express their support for Catalonia’s secession from Spain.
Mas told the crowd that the election would “lead to freedom,” adding, “Sunday is a special day for the future of Catalonia. It is a historic day.”
This is while the Spanish center-right government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy has repeatedly described the breakaway plan as unconstitutional and pledged to block it in court.
Catalans’ independence drive has gained momentum in the past years. A series of demonstrations have been held to support the self-determination right for Catalonia and demand an end to the redistribution of the region’s taxes to other areas of the country.
In November last year, the Catalan president staged a symbolic independence referendum after the government in Madrid used the courts to block his bid to hold an official referendum. Nearly 80 percent of the 2.2 million people who took part in the vote backed secession, though the turnout was little more than 40 percent.
Many Catalans believe their economy would be more prosperous on its own, complaining that a high portion of their taxes goes to the central government in Madrid.
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