Catalan president speaks after independence declaration

Catalan Parliament has declared independence. In an historic plenary session after weeks of tensions with the Spanish government, and before the Senate votes on the suspension of self-rule, Catalan MPs passed a resolution that makes effective the electoral mandate of the October 1 referendum. "We hereby constitute the Catalan Republic as an independent, sovereign, legal, democratic, socially-conscious state", reads the declaration. Independence has been declared at 3.25pm with 70 votes in favor, 10 against and 2 abstentions.