MoJ launches medical malpractice judicial panels at Riyadh General Court    Al-Qurayyat records lowest temperature of minus 1 degree on Thursday    King Abdulaziz University launches Saudi Arabia's first Alzheimer's Diagnostic Service using PET/MRI technology    GASTAT: Health status of 97.4% of Saudi population rated good or better    Tanmiah Food Company joins forces with Saudi Green Initiative, contributing to Saudi Vision of planting 10 billion trees, as highlighted at COP16    'World's first' grid-scale nuclear fusion power plant announced in the US    40 Ukrainian companies to invest in Saudi market    SAMA cuts Repo and Reverse Repo rates by 25 basis points    Israeli military strikes Yemen hours after Houthi attack targets Israel    Man admits running secret Chinese 'police station' in New York    Al Shabab announces departure of coach Vítor Pereira    My kids saw my pain on set, says Angelina Jolie    Syria not a threat to world, rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa says    Trump brings Congress to a halt with new demands on spending as shutdown looms    Saudi Arabia defeats Trinidad and Tobago 3-1 in friendly match    FIFA approves 21 male and 3 female Saudi referees for 2025    Benzema considers retirement at the end of the season: Report    Legendary Indian tabla player Zakir Hussain dies at 73    Eminem sets Riyadh ablaze with unforgettable debut at MDLBEAST Soundstorm    Selena Gomez announces engagement to Benny Blanco    Order vs. Morality: Lessons from New York's 1977 Blackout    India puts blockbuster Pakistani film on hold    The Vikings and the Islamic world    Filipino pilgrim's incredible evolution from an enemy of Islam to its staunch advocate    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Abstentions expected as Catalonia goes to polls despite pandemic
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 14 - 02 - 2021

Catalonia goes to the polls on Sunday for an election that Madrid hopes will unseat the region's ruling separatists. More than three years ago they failed to break away from Spain by holding an illegal referendum.
This vote could see a high level of abstentions as the country battles a third wave of the pandemic. Regional authorities have ramped up restrictions to slow soaring case numbers after the Christmas holidays.
And in a highly-controversial move, people with the virus as well as those in quarantine will have the right to cast their ballots in person in the last hour before voting closes at 1900 GMT.
Of the 82,000 people who have been asked to help staff polling stations on the day, nearly 31.000 have asked to be recused, despite pledges they will receive full protective suits.
The regional government insists it has put in place all the necessary health and security measures, laying on antigen tests for voting staff, providing spacious and well-ventilated polling stations and measures to ensure social distancing.
A polling station "is really much safer than going in the metro or into an office to work," insists Ismael Pena Lopez, the regional government's top election official.
When the polls open at 0800 GMT on Sunday, about 5.5 million voters will be eligible to cast their ballots, although turnout is not expected to exceed 60 percent.
Beyond the ongoing health crisis, the vote has been overshadowed by a bitter split between the separatist factions following the failed independence bid of 2017 that sparked Spain's worst political crisis in decades.
The Catalan government has been dominated by separatists since 2015 and Spain's Socialist Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez is hoping that this election, the fifth in a decade, could end their rule.
Although he himself came to power in 2018 thanks in part to support from Catalan separatists, Sanchez has not hidden his desire to remove them from power, a difficult goal to achieve.
Even today, his minority government still relies on them to pass legislation.
Former Health Minister Salvador Illa is spearheading the Socialists' bid to unseat the separatists in Sunday's election, with polls putting his PSC (Socialist Party of Catalonia) neck-and-neck with the pro-independence parties.
It's also possible that the election might need to be held again. Polls suggest none of the parties will win an outright majority of 68 in the 135-seat regional parliament, meaning the eventual outcome will depend on deal-making.
Forming a government "will probably be quite challenging" and prospects of a repeat election "should not be discarded," said Antonio Barroso, an analyst at political consultancy Teneo.
Although the separatist parties remain deeply divided, polls suggest the hardline JxC — "Together for Catalonia" — and the more moderate ERC could once again cobble together a majority to rule anew. The main question is which of the two will come out stronger. — Euronews


Clic here to read the story from its source.