Members of the small far-left Catalan party CUP (Popular Unity Candidacy) decided Sunday not to support a new term for the incumbent regional president Artur Mas, bringing down his plans for a pro-independence government and pushing the wealthy Spanish region towards a new election in March. The decision brought to an end months of negotiations between the pro-independence movement Junts pel sí (Together for Yes), which unites center-right and left parties, and the radical CUP, which wants Catalonia to leave Spain, the EU and NATO. The prospect of a new election in Catalonia, which only held its last regional vote at the end of September, adds to the political uncertainty in Spain after the December 20 national elections, in which no party — including incumbent Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy’s conservative Popular Party (PP) — got enough votes for a majority.
The PP and main opposition Socialists (PSOE) are adamantly opposed to independence for Catalonia.
Junts pel Sí and CUP won a majority of seats in the Catalan regional elections on September 27, which were billed as a quasi-referendum on independence.
One month later, their delegates adopted a resolution to launch a “massive, sustainable and peaceful” secession from Spain within 18 months. However, they failed to agree on a common candidate to preside over their new government.
Full Article: Catalonia heads to new election in March – POLITICO.