Separatists from Quebec are applauding this weekend's election in Catalonia.
Representatives from Quebec Solidaire and the Parti Quebecois were in Barcelona to support the pro-independence parties in the region, who won a clear majority of seats in the regional parliament on Sunday.
PQ MNA Jean-Francois Lisée said it was important for the PQ to send observers to Spain for Sunday's vote.
"It's akin to our own process, so when we held a referendum in '95, some of their representatives were here, and now ours are there to see how they managed, what is their strategy, how their expanded their base, and also to show some brotherly solidarity," he said.
Sunday's election has set the region on a collision course with Spain's central government, since the constitution specifically forbids the separation of any portion of the country.
The two separatist parties say they will work together in a coalition, with Together for Yes winning 62 seats and Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP) gaining 10 seats, for a total of 72 of the 135-seat regional government.
Combined, the two parties won 47.9 per cent of the popular vote, but won more seats because votes in rural Spain are given more weight in parliaments. Support for separation is higher in rural Catalonia.
The Catalonia region is made up of 7.5 million people and includes Barcelona.
Separatists say this gives them a mandate to break away from the rest of Spain, and Lisée said the new regional government is planning to hold an independence referendum soon.
"Then we will have the real election, the real referendum, in a year and a half," said Lisée. “Now they have a strong mandate to prepare the framework of what would be an independent Catalonia.”
Catalonia held a non-binding independence referendum last year where 80.8 per cent of people said Catalonia should become an independent country, but only 37 to 42 per cent of the eligible population cast ballots.
Spain's central government says any further attempts by Catalonia to separate will be defeated in court.
