Catalan break with Spain

CATALAN Premier Carles Puigdemont announced late on Sunday that his government would push ahead with a declaration of independence in the region in the coming days, after preliminary figures showed that some 90% of voters had cast their ballots in favor of secession from Spain.
Preliminary figures showed some 90% of voters in the region had cast their ballots in favor of independence.  However, participation was just 2,262,424 of a total voter pool of 5,343,358, for a turnout rate of 42%, according to the Catalan government’s own figures.  The abstention rate was 58%.
Puigdemont said his government would “in the next few days” present the results of the ballot to the regional parliament “so that it can act in accordance with the referendum laws.”

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