Rajoy asks Spaniards “to stay calm” and says he will

The Spanish president, Mariano Rajoy has urged all Spaniards to "stay calm" after the Catalan parliament declared independence. In a tweet shortly after the vote in the Catalan chamber, Rajoy said the Spanish State will "restore legality in Catalonia".

Cabinet ministers are now holding a meeting in the Senate, where they were waiting the vote to suspend Catalonia's self-rule. Sources in the Spanish Ministry of Home Affairs have ruled out immediate arrests of Catalan leaders and said they would act with a "lot of composure".

The Spanish general prosecutor confirmed some days ago that he already has a lawsuit ready to charge pro-independence leaders with rebellion against the Spanish state. Rebellion carries prison sentences of up to 30 years.