(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Leaders seeking independence for Spain's Catalonia region had the wind in their sails four months ago, but the change sweeping Spanish politics has blown them off course.
Politicians warn that surging left-wing party Podemos is a "Trojan horse" disrupting the independence drive, while centre-right Ciudadanos vows to sink the secessionists.
Many in the rich industrial region, including its conservative leader Artur Mas, want to create a new state in Europe in defiance of the Spanish government.
Mas got a boost when nearly two million Catalans backed independence in a symbolic poll in November.
Banned by Spanish courts from holding a full referendum, Mas later called a regional election for next September to serve as a plebiscite on independence.
But national politics have got in his way, with the rise of the two upstart political parties, on top of Mas's disagreements with fellow pro-independence groups.
"In the coming months we will see the collapse of the secessionist plan," said Matias Alonso, the deputy leader of Ciudadanos.
"In the elections in September we will see a substantial change."
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