Albert Gea/Reuters
Catalan president Carles Puigdemont said to the regional parliament Monday that while he has a mandate to declare independence from Spain, he has decided to wait “a few weeks” to facilitate talks with Madrid. About 90 percent of voters chose independence in an Oct. 1 referendum. Around 800 people were injured when Spanish police beat voters and fired rubber bullets into crowds in an attempt to hinder the vote. “We are here because on Sunday, Oct. 1, Catalonia held a referendum and did so in extreme conditions: violent police attacks against voters waiting to cast their ballots,” Puigdemont said. “The goal was to scare people and stay home. But despite everything, more than 2.2 million people did so because they overcame fear,” adding that “we have nothing against the Spaniards.”