Catalans Divided Almost Evenly Over Region's Independence From Spain - Poll

Since Madrid moved to impose direct rule on Catalonia following its declaration of independence, thousands of supporters and opponents of the Catalan independence have been protesting in the country.

MADRID (Sputnik) — A total of 42.5 percent of Catalans support Catalonia's independence from Spain, while 43.5 percent of the respondents said they were against the cessation, a poll published on Sunday showed.

The Sigma Dos poll published in the El Mundo newspaper was conducted on October 23-26 among 1,000 residents of Catalonia.

— Yannis Koutsomitis (@YanniKouts) 28 октября 2017 г.

The Catalan parliament in a secret ballot voted in favor of a motion which declares the region's independence from Spain in the form of a republic. After that Spain's Senate voted to invoke article 155 of the Constitution, which imposes direct rule on Catalonia by dissolving local parliament, firing devolved government and calling a snap election in the region for December 21.

READ MORE: A Day of High Drama: What Do We Know So Far About Catalan Push for Independence

Meanwhile, thousands of supporters and opponents of independence have been protesting in the streets of Barcelona since the declaration announcement.

The autonomous region of Catalonia held an independence referendum on October 1, with over 90 percent of the 2.26 million Catalans who participated in the vote supporting the region's secession from Spain. Madrid called the vote illegal.