Spain holds polls amid tensions over Catalonia

MADRID (AFP) — Spain yesterday held its fourth general election in as many years with renewed tensions over Catalonia’s separatist movement in the foreground, an issue that has fuelled a surge in support for upstart far-right party Vox.

Acting Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez called the repeat polls after failing to secure support from other parties following an inconclusive election in April, which saw his Socialist party win the most votes, but no working majority, in parliament.

Opinion polls, however, suggested that this new election would fail to break the deadlock.

Neither the left nor the right look likely to win a ruling majority in Spain’s 350-seat parliament.

The Socialists looked set to finish top again, but with slightly fewer seats than the 123 they picked up in April.

The main opposition conservative Popular Party may also strengthen their parliamentary presence.

The most striking development, however, could be the rise of the farright Vox party, which might even jump to third-largest in parliament, according to recent polling.

The Catalan question is still very much in the political foreground.

Less than a month ago, Spain’s Supreme Court sentenced nine Catalan separatist leaders to lengthy jail terms over their role in a failed 2017 independence bid.

That triggered days of angry street protests in Barcelona and other Catalan cities that sometimes turned violent.

More than 600 people were injured in the protests, which saw demonstrators torching barricades and throwing stones and Molotov cocktails at police.

Sanchez said Madrid had sent a “significant” number of security forces to the northeastern region, to ensure the unrest did not disrupt voting in Catalonia.