More than 80% of people in Spain’s autonomous Catalonia region support full independence, an informal vote organized by pro-independence activists revealed on Sunday.
Catalonia’s Vice President Joana Ortega said over two million people took part in the poll, the BBC reports.
“We have earned the right to a referendum,” said Catalan President Artur Mas, hailing the results of the non-binding vote. A Spanish constitutional court had earlier rejected a formal referendum to decide the fate of the region.
Catalans have been pushing for independence for years, citing economic and cultural alienation from the rest of the country.
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But the Spanish government dismissed the poll as invalid.
“The government considers this to be a day of political propaganda organized by pro-independence forces and devoid of any kind of democratic validity,” Spain’s Justice Minister Rafael Catala said in a statement.
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