2017 Catalonian Regional Election Thursday Dec 21,2017

 Catalonia's pro-independence parties have secured an overall majority in the regional parliament with more than 90 per cent of votes counted

Exiled leader Carles Puigdemont said the Catalan people have 'sent a message to the world' as he hailed victory for separatists in regional elections on Thursday night Dec 21,2017

Pro-independence parties won an outright majority with 99 per cent of votes counted setting up a fresh showdown with Madrid and issuing a sharp rebuke to EU leaders who backed the unionist cause.

Separatist parties look set to claim 70 sets in the parliament, while unionists will have 65 seats.

That means the secessionists will be returned to government, provided they can form a coalition.

Anti-secessionist centrist party Ciudadanos will be the biggest single party with 37 of the 135 seats in the parliament.

The vote was called by the Spanish government in an attempt to end the political crisis that erupted in October over a banned referendum on independence.

Voters queue in Barcelona to cast their votes in a regional election called after their last government was thrown from power

Opinion polls before the vote had predicted a close race between the separatist and unionist parties. Voters chose between parties who want Catalonia to remain part of Spain and those who want to continue the push for turning the northeastern region into an independent republic.

The election was held under highly unusual circumstances, with several pro-independence leaders either jailed or in exile for their roles in staging the Oct. 1 independence vote that was declared illegal by Spain's highest court