Sunday`s vote saw `Junts Pel Si` (Together for Yes), along with fellow pro-independence bloc, CUP, obtain a majority of 72 seats in the 135 seat assembly, however they did this with 47.75 percent of the votes, with parties who had positioned themselves against independence or who were ambiguous on the issue gaining 52.25 percent.
In a press conference on Monday, Junts Pel Si insisted the results gave them a mandate to initiate a process towards independence, something Rajoy rejected.
Speaking from his residence in the Palacio de la Moncloa, he read a brief statement in which he said the vote did not give a mandate for Catalan independence.
He insisted Sunday`s elections were not a legal plebiscite, adding the pro-independence movement "didn`t win the votes of four out of 10 Catalans."
"What comes now is the formation of a new regional government," which should "give up," the independence "monologue," and "govern for all Catalans," Rajoy said in a statement.
Rajoy`s own People`s Party received less that 8.5 percent of the votes in Sunday`s election.
Pro-independence political parties won on Sunday parliamentary elections in Spain`s northeastern region of Catalonia in a day marked by a huge participation of more than 77 percent.
With 96.05 percent of votes counted, the main pro-independence party, "Junts Pel Si" (Together for Yes) won 62 seats that added to the 10 seats of the smaller leftist party CUP (Candidatura d`Unitat Popular) is 72 seats, majority at the 135 seats parliament, but two fewer seats when compared with 2012 elections. Full story
Bank of Spain warns Catalonia`s independence could cause "corralito"
MADRID, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) -- The Bank of Spain governor Luis Maria Linde warned on Monday that if the Spanish eastern region of Catalonia split from Spain, there could be a risk of "corralito", a measure taken to stop a bank run.
Linde made this statement at the news agency Europa Press breakfast meeting with the media on Monday where he explained that in certain contexts of serious tensions, the clients` accounts could be frozen in order to avoid a potential bank run. Full story
Tens of thousands of people gather in Barcelona to claim for Catalonia`s independence
Tens of thousands of people gathered on Friday in the Mediterranean city of Barcelona claiming independence from Spain.
The demonstration was organized by the Asamblea Nacional de Catalunya (the National Assembly of Catalonia) and Omnium Cultural, under the slogan "Let`s start building a new country".
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