Pro-independence parties would maintain an absolute majority in Parliament, according to survey

Left-wing party ERC would be the most voted, with pro-independence parties obtaining 47.9% of votes

Debate in the Catalan Parliament on Wednesday (by ACN)
Debate in the Catalan Parliament on Wednesday (by ACN) / Helle Kettner/Nazaret Romero González

ACN | Barcelona

October 23, 2017 01:24 PM

The pro-independence parties would maintain an absolute majority if elections of the Catalan parliament were held today. That’s what a survey conducted by the Cabinet of Social Studies and Public Opinion (Gesop) has shown. The survey, carried out before two pro-independence leaders were imprisoned, and before the Spanish president’s announcement to enforce article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, shows that pro-independence parties would achieve between 70 and 73 seats, instead of the 72 that they currently have.  

According to the survey findings, the pro-independence parties, ERC, PDeCAT and CUP, would obtain 47.9% of the votes, 0.1% more than in the 2015 elections. Left-wing party ERC would be the most voted party and would get 28.1% of the votes. The Catalan president’s party PDeCAT would be the fourth political force, with 12% of the votes, and the left-wing party CUP would get 7.8% of the votes.  

Ciutadans, the opposition leader

The unionist Citizens party (Ciutadans) would obtain between 21 and 22 seats (16.8% of the votes) and would remain the opposition leader. The Catalan socialists party would likely get more votes than they got in the lasts elections. According to the survey's findings, they would achieve between 20 and 21 seats and 14.5% of the votes.

The Catalonia in Common party (Catalunya en Comú) would keep its current seats, between 11 and 12 lawmakers, and 9% of the votes. Finally, the Catalan People’s Party would lose one seat and would remain as the smallest political force in the Catalan parliament, with 9-10 lawmakers and 7.5% of the votes.

‘En Comú Podem’ spokesman, the most valued leader

Regarding the ranking of political leaders, the spokesman of En Comú Podem, Xavier Domènech, is the most valued leader, followed by the Catalan president, Carles Puigdemont, and the vice-president, Oriol Junqueras.

All other leaders got a mark lower than 5. The leader that got the lowest mark is the president of the Catalan People’s Party, Xavier García Albiol.