Catalonia to declare independence in a matter of days, says president

Catalonia is set to declare independence in a matter of days, says president Carles Puigdemont. In his first interview since Sunday’s referendum, when Spain’s police violent crackdown on voters left nearly 900 people injured, Puigdemont told the BBC that his government “will act over the weekend or early next week,” after all votes from abroad are counted.

Despite Spain’s attempts to hamper the referendum, which it deems illegal, the Catalan government says 2.26 million people cast their ballots, with 90% of them supporting independence.

Puigdemont dismissed claims from EU leaders who consider the political situation in Catalonia as an “internal matter” of Spain. “It’s an European issue. I think we won the right to be heard,” he said.