BARCELONA (Reuters) – Catalonia on Friday postponed a parliamentary election scheduled for Feb. 14 until May 30 due to surging COVID-19 contagion across Spain that has pushed hospital occupancy in the restive northeastern region to one of the highest levels in the country.
“The current evolution of COVID-19 shows that to continue with the election is an unacceptable risk,” said acting regional chief, Pere Aragones, in a press conference on Friday evening.
The election is considered a litmus test for the separatist movement, as pro-independence parties hope to garner over 50% of the vote for the first time in what is expected to be a tight race, according to opinion polls.
The ballot will likely be strongly influenced by the fight against the pandemic. Catalonia is one the hardest-hit regions in Spain, with over 400,000 cases and almost 9,000 deaths.
(Reporting by Joan Faus, editing by Andrei Khalip and Nathan Allen)
