| Summary/Abstract |
THE FALL OF 2015 brought along an escalation of a separatist conflict in Spain as a movement in Catalonia for the secession of the autonomous region from the country gained momentum. On September 27, Catalonia, which has the official status of an "autonomous community," held early elections for its parliament, which is part of the Generalitat de Catalunya, the historic institution that rules the region and includes its legislature, government and president of the region. The president, who is the head of the Catalonian government, is elected by the regional parliament. September's elections were won by a wide margin by a coalition of two nationalist parties - the ruling Convergéncia Democrática de Catalunya (Democratic Convergence of Catalonia) or CDC and the left-wing Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya (Republican Left of Catalonia) or ERC.
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