Pro-independence parties claim victory

(27 Sep 2015) Pro-secession parties pushing for Spain's northeastern Catalonia region to break away and form a new Mediterranean nation captured a majority of seats in the region's parliament on Sunday - but failed to take 50 per cent of the popular vote.
With 97 per cent of the vote counted (2140GMT Sunday), the "Together for Yes" group of secessionists had 62 seats in the 135-member parliament.
The left-wing pro-independence Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP) party also won 10 seats
If Together for Yes could persuade the CUP to join them, they would exceed the 68 seats needed to push forward their plan to make Catalonia independent from Spain by 2017.
But CUP had insisted that it would only join an independence bid if secessionist parties won more than 50 percent of the popular vote.
They won only about 46 percent because of a quirk in Spanish election law that gives a higher proportion of legislative seats to rural areas with fewer voters.
Still, Catalonia leader Artur Mas claimed victory as a jubilant crowd interrupted him with cheers and chants of "Independence!"

Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork
Twitter:   / ap_archive  
Facebook:   / aparchives   ​​
Instagram:   / apnews  


You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...