Catalonia vote in unofficial independence referendum

But after the central government in Madrid shut down attempts by Catalan leaders to hold a referendum on independence, nationalists called early elections that could act as a quasi-referendum on whether the wealthy north-eastern region should seek to break away from Spain.

On Saturday, fans waved them in the stands at the Camp Nou football stadium at a match of Barcelona football club, a powerful talisman for the independence movement.

Catalans will go to the polls on Sunday in regional elections that may determine not only the composition of the local parliament, but the fate of Spain’s integrity.

“Catalonia decides its future in Europe”, ran the front-page headline in the centre-right national daily El Mundo. “It is a historic day”.

Experts have also forecast heavy losses for the economies of Catalonia and Spain as a whole if the region secedes, with banks and large firms reportedly drawing up plans for a possible withdrawal from the region.

Mr Rajoy has secured the backing of USA president Barack Obama and British prime minister David Cameron, among others, who have called for Spain to stay united.

The independence campaign is has been waning since its 2013 peak, and a failure to achieve a majority of seats may be seen as a victory for Madrid.

The ruling Convergencia party of Catalan leader Artur Mas and Esquerra Republicana have created a single list of candidates – under the banner “Together for Yes”.

‘No one will destroy the unity of Spain, ‘ he said.

Independence parties, including the “Junts Pel Si” (Together for Yes) and leftist party CUP, are expected to win control of the regional parliament.

“We are going to make some very intelligent proposals to transform this overly presidential political process into a democratic process for the people”.

About 2.3 million Catalans – out of 5.4 million eligible – ended up voting in the nonbinding poll, with 80 percent in favor of breaking away from Spain.