Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont insists the region has won the right to statehood following a contentious referendum, in spite of riot police crack down on votes.

Puigdemont said the door had been opened to a unilateral declaration of independence.

Catalan officials later underlined that 90% of those who voted backed independence in Sunday’s vote, with the turnout of 42.3%.

Spain’s constitutional court had banned the vote, and hundreds of people were injured as riot police used force to try to block voting, and seize ballot boxes.

National guards stormed  into polling stations to remove ballot papers and boxes, but Catalans demonstrated tenacity to move stations to the other places. The Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Catalans had been tricked into participation in an illegal vote.