Catalan parties pushing for a referendum on breaking away from Spain won strong backing in an election on Sunday, while voters punished the rich region’s leader Artur Mas, forcing him to share power.
The result could set Catalonia up for a clash with Spain’s central government, already riled by Mas’ push for greater self-determination as Spain fights to avoid getting bailed out by its EU neighbours.
But it was unclear how Mas would move forward after he saw his support plunge in favour of rival parties that share his desire for some kind of referendum but not all his political objectives.
Mas’s centre-right Convergence and Union alliance (CiU) won the vote, but its share of the parliamentary seats plunged to 50 from 62, while left-wing nationalists ERC surged to 21 seats from 10, official results showed.
“We are clearly the only force that can lead this government, but we cannot lead it alone. We need shared responsibility,” Mas told supporters in Barcelona afterwards.
“The presidency must be taken up, but we will also have to reflect along with other forces,” said Mas, who had vowed to hold a referendum on “self-determination” if Sunday’s vote gave him a strong mandate.