MADRID, Spain
A total of 60 percent of Catalans would vote in favor of independence from Spain in a referendum, according to a survey conducted in Catalonia region.
The findings released by the Opinion Research Center on Tuesday came after Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy last month said a push by Catalonia's autonomous government to hold a referendum in November of 2014 should not be allowed to undermine the unity of Spain.
"The referendum is illegal and will not happen," he said.
According to the survey, 60 percent of Catalans polled said that they backed independence, while 22.1 percent said they would be against. A total of 15.7 percent would abstain.
About 87 percent of Catalans said they would respect the outcome of any vote.
The figures show a rise in pro-independence sentiment after a similar survey in Catalonia region last November indicated 54.7 percent of participants would vote for independence.
Spain's Foreign Minister Garcia Margallo said the referendum held in Ukraine's Crimea, in which 96.77 percent of the electorate voted in favor of joining the Russian Federation, was parallel to the one suggested for Spain, adding that both violated international law.
The poll in Crimea on Sunday has been condemned by the U.S., the European Union and the Ukraine government.
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