Parliament definitively approves creation of new Lluçanès county

Parliament definitively approved the creation of a new county on Wednesday as Lluçanès became Catalonia's 43rd comarca (including Aran, officially a "unique territorial entity" rather than a comarca). 

Situated in north-central Catalonia, between the Plain of Vic and the foothills of the Pyrenees, Lluçanès was until now a subcomarca, but its residents have long campaigned for county status, and voted accordingly in a consultation in 2015. 

The county will be made up of municipalities which were previously in the counties of Osona and Bages.  

The county council will be formally established in 2027. 

Pro-independence parties Esquerra Republicana, Junts and CUP, as well as En Comú Podem, voted in favor of the motion (80 votes). 

The Socialists, Vox, Ciudadanos and the People's Party voted against (49 votes). 

The government asked those that voted 'no' in 2015 "for your trust and a little time. The government has planned this carefully so that it can be done with solid foundations and with guarantees." 

Opposition parties criticized the timing and speed of the vote, calling it "electioneering," ahead of local elections at the end of May.