Convergència i Unió (CiU), Centre-Right Catalan Nationalist Coalition, predicted at just below absolute majority

Barcelona (ACN).- Voting stations closed at 20.00 and the exit polls have just been released. These are not counted votes and are therefore not definitive results. The poll is done by the Catalan Public Television (TV3) and is quite reliable. According to these results, CiU may almost get the absolute majority, which is 68 seats, with a number of seats between 63 and 66. This means a large increase of seats from the current 48. To be confirmed, it may be a de facto absolute majority (especially if they get 66), because the sum of the others to block initiatives would be extremely unlikely because of ideology differences. The Catalan Socialist Party may get the worst results in history, with 24 to 27 seats, far from the current 37. It would mean a clear message to Spanish Prime Minister Zapatero’s lack of support for the Catalan Statute of Autonomy. It would also very likely lead to the resignation of José Montilla, current PSC leader; and the succession ride would begin. The Left-Wing Catalan Independence Party (ERC) may loose a lot of support, passing from 21 seats to 11 to 13 seats. In fact, these results would mean that the Catalan People’s Party becomes the 3^rd force in the Catalan Parliament, getting one of their best results in history with a campaign focused on anti-immigration speech and Spanish identity. The PPC could get between 15 and 17 seats. The Catalan Green Socialist Party (ICV-EUiA) may also loose some support, but less than the other 2 parties in the 3-party governing coalition. The ICV-EUiA is predicted to get between 8 and 10 seats (currently it has 12). The Anti-Catalan Nationalist Party Ciudadanos (C’s) may get a similar number of seats, around the current 3 seats. 2 new parties could enter into the Parliament: 2 new Catalan Independence parties, which want to declare independence in the current term. The main one is former FC Barcelona’s President, Joan Laporta’s party, Solidaritat per la Independència (SI), with 3 or 4 seats. The second one is the Centre-Right Catalan Independence Party, Reagrupament, with 1 seat or no seats, depending on getting the minimum 3% of votes to enter into the Parliament.