Catalan separatist parties won the majority of seats in the parliamentary elections. The pro-independence parties did not, however, win the popular vote, failing once again to secure a share of more than 50%.
The winning parties will now try to form a coalition, although it is unclear how easy that will be: there are tensions between JuntsxCat and the ERC, and the CUP’s insistence on unilateral independence could make relations with Madrid even trickier. Just restoring self-government and seeking the release of imprisoned leaders may absorb much of the movement’s energy.
In October, Madrid dissolved the Catalan government after a controversial independence referendum.
It is unclear how easy it will be to reform the government.
