Voters in northeastern Spain's Catalonia region are going to the polls. If the current regional government is reelected, it could be seen as a sign of support for Catalonia to separate from Spain.
The decision facing voters in Sunday's election is whether or not the regional government should continue to be led by Catalan President Arthur Mas.
Mas is aligned against Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy and favors the idea that Catalonia should become its own state. Polls indicate that voters will likely keep Mas in power, and are also likely to vote for other parties that favor independence.
Some Catalans believe that in Spain's current economic situation - with around 25 percent unemployment - too much of the region's tax money is going to the central government in Madrid to be redistributed to other areas of Spain.
They think they might fare better if they go it alone.
If elected, Mas has vowed to put the issue of Catalonian independence on the ballot as a referendum. Rajoy has vowed to block such a referendum constitutionally. Mas called for the regional elections two years ahead of schedule to drum up support for the idea.
Catalonia is a region of 7.6 million people about the size of Belgium. It borders France in the northeast part of Spain.
mz/msh (dpa, Reuters, AFP) dw de
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