Catalans go to the polls tomorrow in local elections that could plunge Spain into its deepest constitutional crisis since the end of the Franco dictatorship.
Polls indicate that a coalition of parties favouring independence for the region will gain a majority in the Catalan parliament.
While the elections themselves, in which as many as 5.4 million people are expected to vote, have no constitutional power to determine autonomy, the broad alliance of the left and right wing parties that favour a breakaway has defined the vote as a de facto ballot on secession.
For its part, the government in Madrid has said that it will vehemently oppose any power grab from Barcelona.
Read more:
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/catalan-independence-vote-may-push-spain-into-crisis-10517293.htmlBalkanization. It's not just for the Balkans any more.
