Once again Catalonia must consider its relations with Spain

Over 600 miles from home, Carles Puigdemont called the election for his party and independence, celebrating a success while still in self-imposed exile in Belgium.

But even here supporters gathered to hear their leader speak.

This was, he said, an absolute win for his movement.

"I want to congratulate Catalan people because they have sent a message to the world," he told them.

"The Catalan republic has beaten the monarchy and Article 155… And the Spanish state has been beaten."


But this independence issue is not quite as cut-and-dried as the separatists claim.

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In a five star Barcelona hotel, the Citizens Party, a unionist group, celebrated their success at winning the popular vote.

The separatists will have to form a coalition to run the government and their leaders are either in jail or exiled.

For the Citizens Party, who greeted their charismatic leader Ines Arrimadas, with cries of "President, President", the result sends a message to Spain and indeed the rest of the world that most did not vote for independence.

"Today one million and one hundred thousand brave people have sent a message to the world, not only to Catalonia, to the rest of Spain but also to the world - the social majority in Catalonia feels Catalan, feels Spanish, feels European and will continue to do so," she said after the results came in.

Image: Mr Puigdemont claimed the result as a victory

While the Citizens Party may have won the popular vote, even the most optimistic acknowledged this election hasn't eased the divides here.

Unprecedented numbers turned out to vote in this election because it was always much more than that.

The independence issue has dominated everything.

Important topics like education and healthcare, or anything else for that matter, didn't get a look in.

Laia Garrido, a Citizens Party volunteer, said she hoped that people could move on now and try to address these other issues.

:: Catalonia Independence: The political divide in Barcelona

"It's the beginning of a long story but what's important is that people know here and outside Spain that there's a lot of people who don't want to be separated, who believe in Europe, who want to be together and who want to talk about actual important things like the fact that we have a huge unemployment rate or the fact that we have really bad education and stuff like that and that's the message we want to send to everyone," she said.

Spain's Prime Minister had gambled that the election would settle the independence issue and even destroy the separatist parties.

Image: The independence issue has dominated everything

In reality, it has done no such thing and the splits in the region remain.

The truth is that "Independence" has been so divisive here that it will always be a major part of politics, probably forever.

What this election result means is that extended periods of negotiation and discussion are guaranteed.

Once again Catalonia must consider its relations with Spain and vice versa, of course.

But while this was an election dominated by independence, it was not a referendum on it.

That would have to be agreed with Madrid and the country's constitution rewritten.

This complicated and divisive issue isn't getting easier.