Catalonians wait in long columns to vote, powering the pro-independence party (Photo) is expected

This would keep national policy mired in unrest and raise concerns in European capitals and financial markets.

However, the separatist campaign has lost some momentum since the unilateral declaration of independence in October to boost Thursday's vote, and one of its leaders received a conciliatory tone to Madrid in comments published this week.

Long lines were formed outside polling stations in the rich northeast hospital region shortly after they opened at 0800, reports “Reuters”, Periscopi broadcast. They will remain open until 7:00 in an election expected to produce a record turnout.

Among those who line in L'Hospistalet de Llobrega, a working class neighbourhood in southern Barcelona, was Miguel Rodriguez, a 53-year-old doctor who voted for independence in a referendum Madrid declared unconstitutional.

“I am not very optimistic that these elections will return a stable government,” he said, upset that the Spanish government had fired the previous regional government. “We've got all our permissions”.

International bond investors showed few signs Thursday, with the request to keep the Spanish debt on its equivalent German equivalent in the vicinity of closer levels in three months.

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy dismissed the former Catalonia government for holding the referendum and declaring independence.

He called on Thursday's vote, hoping that Catalonia would return to <x0-normality” under a union government, or by failing to have a separatist government operating within Spanish and regional laws and not seek a unilateral division.

A new separatist majority may further lower investor confidence in Catalonia, which itself has a greater economy than that of Portugal and is a major driver of Spain's economic growth.

Catalonas President Carles Puigdemont has campaigned from the self-declared exile in Brussels and his former deputy and now rival candidate, Oriol Junqueras, has done so from behind bars to a prison outside Madrid.

In a written interview published in “Reuters” published on Monday, Junqueras hit a conciliatory tone and opened the door for building bridges with the Spanish state.

The independence campaign raised Spain to its worst political turmoil since the fall of fascist rule and the return of democracy in the 1970s. It has polarised public opinion, impacted Spain's economic recovery and promoted business ecstasy from Catalonia to other parts of the country.

Thursday's vote has become a de facto referendum on how support for the independence movement has emerged in recent months.

“I want a change, because things are going from bad to worse here and there are young people who carry their burden”, said Manuela Gomez, 71, who voted for Union Ciudadanos's favouraries, who could appear as the most voted party in the election, but would almost be unable to form a ruling coalition.

Analysts expect the next Catalan government to result from weeks of talks between parties on stable coalitions.

A polling data analysis by Madrid daily “El Pais”, published on Tuesday that the most likely scenario was the separatists who secured a majority with the support or abstention of the Catalan branch of the Podemos anti-demonist party.

Podemos supports the unification of Spain, but says the Catalans should be able to hold a referendum authorised by Madrid to decide their future.

At the same time, Podemos favours a left-wing coalition of Catalan parties both back and refuse independence.

In that, analysts say, Podemos has been caught between two options that he dislikes, but would prefer to back separatists and not a coalition that included Rajoy's party./Periscopi/