Nearly half of Catalans support independence

If a referendum in the northeastern region were to be held today, 43 percent of Catalans say they would vote in favor of independence, the Catalan government said on Wednesday.

In a survey conducted by the ruling CiU nationalist bloc, 28.2 percent said they would vote in favor of the current status quo while 23.3 percent acknowledged that they would abstain from voting. About 4.4 percent said they were undecided.

The telephone polling of 2,500 people was conducted by the Center for Opinion Studies (CEO), which conducts surveys among Catalan residents every quarter. However, since the CiU was swept into power last year, the question of independence has been included.

"Each day this country continues to move toward a direction favoring the right to vote about its own future," said regional premier Artur Mas on Wednesday in reference to a possible referendum. "There is a general consensus that the government should take control of its finances in the short term."

Even though the poll showed a slight rise in the number of people who favor independence, there are more people who support continuing being part of Spain as either autonomous region or a federal state.

After he took office, Mas assumed control of the CEO, which in the past tripartite government had been under the auspices of the economy department to avoid any political influence.

Issues brought up by the 15-M movement were also included in the poll. More than 74 percent said they believe that politicians only run for office for personal gain. Some 44 percent said they agreed with the 15-M demand that more direct popular participation is needed in politics.