Catalonia vote: Pro-independence parties win elections
Pro-independence parties in Spain's Catalonia region have won an absolute majority in regional elections.
The main separatist alliance and a smaller nationalist party won 72 seats in the 135-seat regional parliament.However,
the pro-independence parties fell just short of getting 50% of the
vote, winning 1.9 million out of 4 million ballots cast.
The separatists say the victory gives them a clear mandate to form an independent Catalan state.
Spain's central government in Madrid has pledged to challenge any unilateral moves towards independence in court.
Pro-independence parties said they considered the vote a de facto referendum on independence
