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New elections likely in Catalonia after leftist CUP refuse to support Mas

Xinhua, January 4, 2016 Adjust font size:

New elections for the Catalan Regional Assembly (Generalitat) look to be almost certain after the anti-system pro-Catalan independence party, CUP, voted on Sunday to refuse to support the investiture of Artur Mas as the leader of the Generalitat.

The decision comes after weeks of debate in CUP and means that unless Mas' pro-independence 'Junts pel Si' (JpS) formation is able to agree on another candidate who could win the votes of the 10 CUP members in the Generalitat, the assembly will be dissolved on January 10th and new elections called for in March . If Catalonia faces fresh elections, it means the Catalan region remains without an effective government since previous elections on September 27th.

Those elections, which Mas presented as a plebiscite over Catalan independence, were won by JpS (a grouping of various pro-independence factions) who claimed 62 seats in the 135-seat assembly, meaning they needed the support of CUP's 10 members to form an effective pro-independence majority.

Three months of negotiations have failed to reach an outcome, although CUP have left the door open to supporting a candidate other than Mas.

"We have said 'no' to who we had to say no to: we have moved our cards, but they haven't," said CUP deputy Gabriela Serra.

Sergi Saladie, another CUP deputy, said Mas had previously offered to stand aside if he was an impediment to an agreement between JpS and CUP. However, as JpS insists there will be no "alternative candidate," the stalemate looks likely to continue. Enditem