Spain: Election fever grips Catalonia a day before voters head to the polls

Catalans in Barcelona talked about the upcoming regional elections on Saturday, with people heading to the polls tomorrow, to vote in what has been billed as a major step to see if Catalonia will take its first step on the path towards independence from Spain. The electoral polls show a slight majority supporting the pro-independence candidacies, mainly 'Junts pel si' (Together for YES), a coalition of some nationalist parties and organisations that will go together to the elections. The abstention figures are expected to be very low on this occasion. In order to form a government without a coalition, at least 68 out of the 135 seats in the Catalan Parliament must be won. Those voted in will decide on who will become President of Catalonia, which will largely dictate the approach to the region's place in Spain. Dependent on the outcome of the election, a formal declaration of independence could potentially happen within the space of 18 months. After the 2014 unofficial referendum on Catalan independence ended in a resounding win in favour of breaking away from the Spanish state, strident refusals from Madrid to accept proposals for separation followed. If the pro-independence parties gain enough seats in the elections, campaigners have called to make a declaration of independence directly after the elections if Madrid attempts to stop the process of independence.