In Spain, Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont has said that the Spanish region of Catalan has won the right to statehood following a contentious referendum that was marred by violence. <br/><br/>He said the door has been opened to a unilateral declaration of independence. Catalan officials later said 90% of those who voted backed independence in yesterday's vote and the turnout was 42.3 per cent.<br/>'<br/>However, Spain's Constitutional Court has declared the poll illegal and hundreds of people were injured as police used force to block voting.<br/>'<br/>In another development, more than 40 trade unions and Catalan associations called a region-wide strike on Tuesday due to alleged grave violation of rights and freedoms.<br/>'<br/>Earlier, as voting ended, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Catalans have been fooled into taking part in an illegal vote. He called it a "mockery" of democracy.<br/>'<br/>The Catalan government said that more than 800 people were injured in clashes across the region. Those figures included people who had suffered relatively minor complaints such as anxiety attacks. <br/><br/>The Spanish interior ministry said 12 police officers were hurt and three persons arrested. It added that 92 polling stations had been closed.