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The citizens of the Spanish city of Barcelona voted on Sunday by more than 90 per cent in favour of independence for the province of Catalonia from the central government in Madrid.

The unofficial referendum was organised by Decideix, which describes itself as "a citizen''s initiative to organise a referendum in the city of Barcelona on Catalonia''s independence from Spain."

The referendum had a 21.37 percent turnout with 257,745 participants, including registered foreign immigrants and anyone over 16.

By 23.30 local time (21.30GMT) some 44 percent of the votes had been counted, with just over 91 percent in favour of the secession of Catalonia from the rest of Spain.

Critics say this had more to do with warm spring-like weather than political commitment and democracy.

Barcelona is the last city, and the second biggest in Spain, to symbolically decide about independence following a series of plebiscites across Catalonia over the past 18 months.

The Spanish government has tried to stop all unofficial referendums but so far 515 Catalan towns and villages have held them, around half of Catalonia''s municipalities.

Next Wednesday, April 13, the Catalan parliament will debate a bill to unilaterally declare independence from Spain.

Catalonia accounts for around one-fifth of Spain''s economy, about one seventh of the population, and has long complained it contributes more than a fair share.

Along with the Basque region, Catalonia was heavily oppressed under the 1939-1975 dictatorship of General Francisco Franco, which made it a crime to speak the Catalan and Basque languages in the interest of promoting Spain as a Madrid-run Castilian-speaking unified country.