(Bernat Armangue/Associated Press)BARCELONA, Spain — Catalan authorities said voting turnout Thursday was up by more than 5 percentage points in a crucial Spanish regional election seen as a crucial test of strength for Catalonia’s powerful secession movement. Regional election board said 68.3 percent of Catalan voters had cast ballots by 6 p.m. (1700 GMT; 12 p.m. EST), compared to 63.12 percent in the last election in 2015. The strategy could backfire, however, if the election delivers a pro-independence majority of lawmakers in the Catalan parliament. Even so, Rajoy says Catalan independence would go against the Spanish Constitution and he refuses to accept the possibility. An economic slowdown has been the most immediate consequence of the Catalan independence push.

Source: Washington Post December 21, 2017 08:22 UTC