Catalonia's Parliament Races Toward Uncertainty

Shortly after Catalonia held its controversial referendum on independence, the region's citizens will be heading to the polls once again. The Catalan regional elections will be held on Dec. 21, just a month and a half after Spain's central government dissolved Catalonia's government and took direct control over several of its institutions. Opinion polls show a divided electorate, with parties for and against Catalan independence achieving similar levels of popularity. If the pro-independence camp wins a majority of seats in the regional parliament, their primary goal will be to negotiate a legal independence referendum with Spain's government. But Madrid is unlikely to authorize such a referendum, which could lead to future friction between Catalonia and the Spanish government....