On September 27, 2015, Catalan separatists transformed simple regional elections into a covert plebiscite for secession from Spain. And they were successful — coalitions supporting an independent Catalonia won a majority of the vote.

Overall, parties in favor of secession received 48 percent. The center-right coalition Together for Yes (JxSí) won sixty-two seats, while the separatist left platform Candidacy of Popular Unity (CUP) sat ten representatives. JxSí needed CUP’s support to form a stable government.

In the months that followed, JxSí and CUP embarked on a tense and agitated negotiation, attempting to form a stable government that could prepare Catalonia’s transition to an independent state.