Regional president Carles Puigdemont vowed to “assume the mandate” for Catalonia to become an independent state after a controversial referendum marred by violence.
But as thousands of protesters, many waving Catalan flags, gathered near Barcelona’s Arc de Triomf hoping to hear him announce a separation, he stepped back from the brink suspending the declaration to secure talks with the Spanish government.
Mr Puigdemont, in a highly anticipated speech, told the regional parliament last night: “The ballots say yes to independence. This is the will that I want to go forward with.
“At this historical moment as the president of Catalonia, I want to follow the people’s will for Catalonia to become an independent state.
“Today I assume the mandate for Catalonia to become an independent state in the form of a republic.”
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But he added: “We’re suspending the declaration of independence for a few weeks, because we want a reasonable dialogue, a mediation with the Spanish state.”
Spain’s prime minister Mariano Rajoy has vowed to block any move towards independence.
A Spanish government spokesman said: “It’s unacceptable to make a tacit declaration of independence to then suspend it in an explicit way.”
Nearly 900 people were injured as police clashed with protesters and seized ballot boxes in a bid to stop last Sunday’s referendum going ahead.
About 90 per cent of the 2.3 million who voted backed independence.
Tension had begun to mount when Mr Puigdemont delayed his speech by an hour minutes before he was due to address the regional parliament.
Balaclava-clad officers stood guard outside the building and helicopters circled overhead.
In his speech, Mr Puigdemont condemned Spanish authorities for attempting to block the vote, insisting “the world saw it and everyone was terrified by the images”.
“The objective was to create panic and fear and make people stay at home,” he said.
“But it went wrong – they didn’t achieve their objective because more than two million people went against that fear.
“We are not criminals, we are not mad. We are normal people and we just want to vote. We have been ready to talk and have dialogue. We have nothing against Spain. We asked 18 times. All we wanted was a Scottish-style referendum where both sides were able to put their views forward. We were denied time and time again.”
Violence broke out in the port city of Valencia on Monday as far-Right thugs attacked pro-independence supporters amid fears the region could be next to want to split from Spain.