Catalonia to declare independence from Spain on Monday

Catalonia will move to declare independence from Spain, on Monday next week a regional government source says.

Pro-independence parties which control the regional parliament have asked for a debate and vote on Monday on declaring independence, the source said. A declaration should follow this vote, although it is unclear when.

Catalan President Carles Puigdemont told the BBC earlier that his government would ask the region's parliament to declare independence after tallying votes from last weekend's referendum, which Madrid deems illegal.

His comment appeared after Spain's King Felipe VI accused secessionist leaders of shattering democratic principles and dividing Catalan society, as tens of thousands protested against a violent police crackdown on Sunday's vote.

We are to declare independence 48 hours after all the official results are counted," Puigdemont said in remarks posted on the BBC's website.

This will probably finish once we get all the votes in from abroad at the end of the week and therefore we shall probably act over the weekend or early next week.

Spain has been rocked by the Catalan vote and the Spanish police response to it, which saw batons and rubber bullets used to prevent people voting. Hundreds were injured, in scenes that brought international condemnation.

Participants in Sunday's ballot - only about 43 per cent of eligible voters - opted overwhelmingly for independence, a result that was expected since residents who favour remaining part of Spain mainly boycotted the referendum.

Reuters