Catalonia’s separatist parties retain majority in snap election

Catalonia’s separatist parties on Friday maintained a parliamentary majority following a snap regional election set by the Spanish prime minister in a bid to quell calls for secession. The three pro-independence parties won 70 of the 135 seats in the regional parliament. The center-right Citizens Party earned the most seats, 37, but that didn’t give it enough to form a regional government. Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s conservative Popular Party won only three seats, down from its previous seven. Earlier in October, the Spanish government deposed Catalan’s leaders and called for the snap election after the autonomous region declared independence. Catalan’s deposed president, Carles Puigdemont, called Thursday’s election result “a slap to the face” for Rajoy. Puigdemont, who fled to Brussels following the independence move, called for talks with Rajoy and said he will return to Barcelona if the new parliament elects him as its leader. Rajoy said the results showed a diversity of views in Catalonia and said he will speak with the region’s new leaders, provided they abide by Spain’s constitution.