Far from settling the independence question, the Catalan elections have simply added to the uncertainty over Catalonia’s future

Pro-independence parties won a majority of seats in the Catalan elections on 27 September, which were billed by several parties as a de facto referendum on Catalonia’s secession from Spain. As Anwen Elias writes, however, the elections have failed to provide a concrete answer to the independence question. With the pro-independence parties securing less than 50 per cent of the overall vote share, and with uncertain negotiations ahead between the largest pro-independence coalition Junts pel Sí (Together for Yes) and the smaller Candidatura d’Unitat Popular (Popular Unity Candidacy), it remains unclear what lies next for both Catalonia and Spain.