Catalonia’s parliament voted on Thursday in favour of holding a referendum on independence in September 2017 – posing a new headache for Spain’s central government, which has consistently rejected the idea, Euronews reports.
One of Spain's richest regions, Catalonia has repeatedly fought Madrid over its right to secede. Regional president Puigdemont has vowed to proceed with the referendum even without Spain's blessing, DW reports.
According to recent polls, around 48 percent of Catalans supports secession, though that number is down a few percentage points from a few years ago.