The elections gave the three pro-independence parties a slight majority in the regional Parliament, underscoring the resilience of their vote after three months of upheaval. After a record turnout of over 80%, they won 70 of the 135 seats, compared with 72 in the 2015 elections. But again they won a fraction less than half of the total votes cast (nearly 48%), slightly less than they did in 2015. The party of former Catalan President Carlos Puidgemont won 34 seats -- even though he has been in self-imposed exile in Belgium since October. Puidgemont described the vote as a slap in the face for Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy.

Source: CNN December 22, 2017 04:41 UTC