2017 Catalonia declaration of independence

Declaration of Independence of Catalonia
Puigdemont before the Parliament of Catalonia on 10 October 2017
Created	10 October 2017
Ratified	27 October 2017 (unrecognized)
Signatories	Members of the Parliament of Catalonia belonging to pro independence political parties
Purpose	Unilateral declaration of independence of Catalonia as a sovereign republic from Spain

The Declaration of Independence of Catalonia is a resolution that was passed by the Parliament of Catalonia on 27 October 2017, which declared the independence of Catalonia from Spain and the founding of an independent Catalan Republic.

On 10 October, in the aftermath of the 1 October 2017 Catalan independence referendum, a document establishing Catalonia as an independent republic was signed by the members of Catalonia's pro-independence parliamentary majority. The same document was then voted on and approved on 27 October by a majority of 70 out of 135 MPs in a plenary session (ten voted against and two abstained).

Fifty-three MPs from the opposition refused to be present during the 27 October voting, after the legal services of the Catalan Parliament advised that the voting could not take place as the law on which it was based had been suspended by the Spanish Constitutional Court.

A few hours later, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy of Spain dismissed Catalan President Carles Puigdemont and his cabinet, and called for fresh Catalan elections on 21 December 2017. The Spanish vice-premier Soraya Sáenz de Santamaría was assigned to be the temporary president of Catalonia until the December elections.

The Law on the Referendum on Self-determination of Catalonia contained the provision that, in case of an outcome in favour of independence, independence was to be declared within 48 hours after all votes were counted. Catalan President Carles Puigdemont confirmed this on October 3 during an exclusive interview with the BBC, saying "we are going to declare independence 48 hours after all official results are counted". Final results were published by the Catalan government on October 6, and Puigdemont announced he would formally address the Parliament on October 10.