MADRID (AP) — An opinion poll published Friday indicates a majority of people in Spain's northeastern region of Catalonia reject a proposal by secessionist parties there to have the regional parliament announce the formal start of independence from Spain.

The poll published in leading newspaper El Pais said 51 percent of those quizzed opposed the motion, against 42 percent who favored it.

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy was meeting with two political leaders Friday to unite against the motion and the secession drive — Albert Rivera of centrist Ciudadanos (Citizens) party and Pablo Iglesias of the far-left Podemos (We Can) group. He held talks Wednesday with Pedro Sanchez of the main opposition Socialist party.

The secession proposition was filed by the "Together for Yes" pro-independence alliance — which won 62 seats in Catalonia's 135-member regional parliament in September elections — along with the radical leftist CUP party that won 10 seats. The two parties are in talks to form a new regional government.

Asuncion de la Iglesia Chamarro, a constitutional law professor at Spain's University of Navarra, said under Spain's constitution, the motion is illegal because no regional parliament has the right to hold such a vote.

Catalonia, a region of 7.5 million people, is responsible for nearly a fifth of Spain's economic output and has long been proud of its own culture and language.

The survey showed that if a self-determination referendum were to be held, 49 percent would favor remaining part of Spain against 41 percent who would support independence. The poll, carried out by the Metroscopia firm, quizzed 900 people in fixed telephone interviews Oct. 28. It has a margin of error of 3.3 percentage points.