BARCELONA, May 12, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Catalonia votes Sunday in a regional

election with high stakes for its separatist movement.

Here are five things to know about the wealthy northeastern Spanish region
which has significant autonomous powers and has been governed for the past
decade by the separatists:

- Secession attempt -

Catalonia made international headlines when its regional government pushed
ahead with an independence referendum on October 1, 2017 despite a ban by
Spanish courts.

The regional parliament then unilaterally declared Catalonia's independence,
prompting Spain's worst political crisis in decades. The central government
dismissed the regional government and imposed direct rule from Madrid.

Catalonia's leaders were either arrested or fled abroad, as was the case with
regional leader Carles Puigdemont, who has been living in exile in Belgium
ever since.

Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez who took office the following year,
has sought to defuse separatist tensions. His left-wing government holds onto
power with the key support of Catalonia's pro-independence parties.

In exchange, they demanded an amnesty for separatists wanted over the 2017
crisis, which should get final approval in the coming weeks, paving the way
for Puigdemont's return to Spain.

- Separatists in power -

For over a decade, Catalonia has been governed by parties which back
independence for the region.

In 2010, Artur Mas -- Catalonia's conservative nationalist leader at the time
-- made a shift towards independence, mirroring a growing sentiment among the
population.

At the time, Spain was in the throes of a financial crisis that was fuelling
anger over austerity measures.

He was succeeded in January 2016 by Puigdemont who went on to lead the failed
secession bid the following year.

Since then separatists parties have maintained a majority in Catalonia's 135-
seat parliament. During the last elections in 2021, they won 74 seats.

But deep divisions within the pro-independence movement led Puigdemont's
hardline JxCat to quit the ruling coalition in October 2022, leaving the more
moderate separatist ERC in power.

The separatist picture has been further complicated by the emergence in
recent months of a new far-right formation, Catalan Alliance, which is seen
winning 3.0 percent of the vote on Sunday.

- Autonomy -

Under Spain's highly decentralised system of power, Catalonia is one of the
country's 17 regions with the greatest amount of autonomy.

Home to some eight million people, the region is responsible for health care
and education, has its own police force -- the Mossos d'Esquadra -- and
recently obtained control over rail transportation.

As part of the agreement with separatist parties to return Sanchez to power,
his government has promised "measures to enable" Catalonia's "fiscal
autonomy".

Puigdemont's JxCat party had demanded Madrid hand over "100 percent of the
taxes" paid in the region.

- Economic engine -

Catalonia is Spain's second richest region, accounting for 19 percent of the
country's gross domestic product. Formerly the most wealthy region, it was
overtaken by Madrid after the 2017 secession attempt.

Home to major firms such as fashion retailer Mango and mobile phone tower
operator Cellnext, Catalonia is by far Spain's biggest source of exports,
accounting for 26.1 percent of the national total.

An industrial hub, its unemployment rate stands at 10.4 percent, compared
with the national average of 12.3 percent.

- Language -

While Catalan and Spanish are both official languages, the majority of
education is provided in Catalan, which is also the language used by the
region's public administration.

According to the regional government, 29 percent of inhabitants speak Catalan
as their mother tongue, while 86 percent had a good understanding of the
language.