The Parliament of Catalonia has approved, in a secret ballot, the resolution presented by the groups JxSí (Together for Yes) and the CUP (Popular Unity Candidacy) which declares, in its preamble, the constitution of the Catalan Republic as an "independent, sovereign state" with 70 votes in favour, 10 against and 2 abstentions.
The Parliament approved the bill with the votes of the pro-independence deputies, in the absence of the deputies from Ciutadans (Citizens), PSC (Socialist Party of Catalonia) and PP (Popular Party), who left Spanish and Catalan flags on their seats. The resolution had been read to the Parliament, prior to the vote, by the speaker Carme Forcadell.
Just before the vote was to take place, the last vote to be put to the deputies in today's session, deputy Roger Torrent (JxSí) asked for a secret ballot via ballot boxes with each deputy voting in turn as their name was called. PP (Popular Party) warned that the voting mechanism couldn't be changed once voting had started, whilst Joan Coscubiela of CSQP (Catalonia Yes We Can) said that deputies had to "show their faces to the public, who should know how each one voted".
Forcadell replied that the chamber is sovereign, which caused another tense exchange with PP spokesperson Santi Rodríguez, whilst his party's deputies placed Spanish flags on their seats.
Finally, Anna Gabriel of CUP supported the petition citing the dynamic of "repression" existing in the conflict with the Spanish state. This gave the two groups needed by the rules of the Parliament to procede to vote on accepting the secret vote. The vote was accepted.
Catalan president Carles Puigdemont didn't speak in the Parliament, which meant there was no turn for speeches by the different parties preventing their leaders from speaking, which led to protests from Ciutadans, PSC and PP.