Catalonia LIVE: Rapturous applause as Catalan leader vows 'to follow WILL of the people'

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Mr Puigdemont arrived at the Catalan parliament shortly after 4pm and after an hour-long delay, he addressed the assembly. Laying out the “consequences” of the referendum, Mr Puigdemont told the assembly: “Today I am here in front of Catalonia and in front of the world.

“Spain made us small, but Catalonia is a European affair." He called for a de-escalation of the violence seen across the region in recent weeks. “I’m not going to make any threats, the situation is really serious and we have to assume our responsibilities. "We need de-escalate the situation, not feed it any longer. I want to address everyone about the issue. "We are all part of the same community and we need to go forward together. We will never agree on everything, but we have proved many times that the only way to move forward is with democracy and peace. “We have to have dialogue and we have to be empathetic towards each other.”

However, he condemned the police violence seen during the referendum. Mr Puigdemont said: “I want to explain now why we are here. I think we should explain ourselves. Since the death of the dictator Franco, Catalonia has contributed massively to Spanish democracy. “Catalonia thought the 1978 Spanish constitution could be a good platform for democracy, and got involved. But later, we realised that the Spanish authorities were seeing this as the final target, but for us, it was a transition. “In 2005, 85 per cent of this parliament, following the procedures that the constitution establishes, approved a new statue for Catalonia, and that triggered a massive anti-Catalan campaign by the people that want to govern and dominate Spain at any price.” He went on to address the Spanish people in an attempt to get the country to understand Catalonia's position in the independence row.

Switching from Catalan to the Spanish language, he said: "We are not criminals, we are not mad. We are normal people, and we just want to vote. We have been ready to talk and have dialogue. "We have nothing against Spain. We want to have a better understanding with Spain. The relationship hasn’t been working for many years, and now it’s unsustainable." This is a historic day for the region and comes after more than 90 per cent of the Catalonians who went to the polls on October 1 voted in favour of independence, although the Spanish prime minister Mariano Rajoy and the King have rejected the results. Spain has been rocked by the referendum results and the police violence seen against voters in Catalonia has sparked a huge backlash. Catalan separatists have come out across the region to show their support for the breakaway bid.

Mariano Rajoy, the Spanish prime minister, has said that any declaration of independence will not be recognised by Madrid, leading to fears of civil unrest following weeks of hostilities between separatists and unionists. Mr Puigdemont is believed to have asked for the parliamentary session to be postponed for an hour as he meets with the president of the Catalan parliament and the president of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker. The announcement is now expected to be made at 6pm BST (7pm local time).

The reason for the delay remains a mystery, but some sources are hinting at the possibility of international mediation, while other reports suggest that Mr Puigdemont's party's coalition partners, the left-wing CUP party, were not happy with the text of his speech. There are even suggestions that influential figures within Spain's ruling People's Party (PP) are trying to have the Catalan leader's speech cancelled, although nothing has been confirmed at this stage. The reaction of Spanish police, who used batons and rubber bullets against voters in Catalonia in a bid to disrupt the banned referendum, prompted international outrage.

The European Union was also criticised for failing to condemn the violence. Earlier today, Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called for dialogue and urged the Spanish government "to sit down with the government of Catalonia". She said: "It is time for them to talk and find a way forward – a way forward that respects the rule of law, yes, but a way forward that also respects democracy and respects the right of the people of Catalonia to determine their own future.”

Mrs Sturgeon's comments, made during her keynote speech at the SNP party conference, come as she called for a second independence referendum for Scotland.