"I assume the mandate that Catalonia become an independent state in the form of a republic…" These words by Puigdemont led to wild cheers and cries from the crowd of sovereignty supporters who had gathered in front of the region's parliament building to hear the expected historic speech to lawmakers.
However, only seconds after uttering these words, something went terribly wrong, as Puigdemont asked parliament "to suspend the independence declaration so that we can enter into dialogue" with Madrid.
A photographer was on hand to perfectly illustrate independence supporters' instantaneous transition from joy to despair.
Later that night, parliament approved a declaration of independence, but it was not registered or voted on in, leading to confusion in the region and throughout Spain about the region's status.
On Wednesday, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy asked Puigdemont to clarify whether or not he had actually declared the region's independence during his Tuesday speech. Catalonia now has until October 16 to do so.
The official results of last week's referendum, which Madrid characterizes as "failed" and "illegal", showed that 92.01%, or more than 2.04 million voters, supported the region's secession from Spain, amid voter turnout of just over 43%.
