Catalan separatist parties are on track to win most seats in the new regional parliament, setting the stage for more confrontation with Spain's government. However the Citizens party, which wants Catalonia to remain a semi-autonomous part of Spain, is the biggest party. As a result, it is unclear who will be given the right to form a government.

The Madrid government stripped Catalonia of its autonomy and called the election after declaring an October independence referendum illegal. With nearly all votes counted, the pro-independence parties Together for Catalonia (JxCat), Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC) and Popular Unity (CUP) were together on course to win a total of 70 seats, giving them a majority.

Within the separatist party block, ousted Catalan President Carles Puigdemont's JxCat was slightly ahead of the ERC, led by his former deputy, Oriol Junqueras. Speaking in Brussels, where he is in self-imposed exile, Mr Puigdemont said the "Catalan republic" had won and "the Spanish state has been defeated".

The situation called for "rectification, reparation and restitution," he said. He is accused by Spanish prosecutors of rebellion and sedition. Mr Junqueras faces the same charges and is currently in prison. Citizens (Cs) had 25% of the vote, winning 37 seats in the 135-seat chamber. Its leader Inés Arrimadas told the BBC her party had been "victorious". She said forming a coalition would be "difficult - but we will try".

The Popular Party (PP) of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, who took the decision to remove Catalonia's autonomy, was projected to win just three seats in the new Catalan parliament, down from 11 in the 2015 election. Election turnout was more than 80%, a record for a Catalan regional election.

Courtesy:BBC