Campaigning has come to an end in the Spanish region of Catalonia ahead of Sunday’s decisive elections.
The pro-independence coalition, which includes the Catalan president, Artur Mas, held a final rally in Barcelona with tens of thousands turning out.
If the bloc wins Sunday’s vote, they have said they will start a process that will lead to a unilateral declaration of independence in 2017.
Meanwhile, the Spanish Prime Minister was joined by his party’s candidate in the Catalan elections and former French President Nicolas Sarkozy at a final rally in Barcelona in a last ditch attempt to ask voters to cast their ballot for a unified Spain.
Madrid has repeatedly said it would use the country’s constitutional court to block any attempt to create a Catalan state.
