THE SPANISH government has taken control of Catalonia after the region’s parliament voted to declare it was an independent republic.
It sacked Catalonia's president Carles Puigdemont and the Catalonia parliament and announced new elections as the Spanish parliament approved direct rule over the rebellious region, in a move that has pushed the country’s worst political crisis in 40 years to new and dangerous depths.
Jean-Claude Juncker, the European Commission president warned that "more cracks" were emerging in the bloc after Catalan MPs in the 135-seat regional parliament voted for independence by a margin of 70 votes to 10.
He said: "[The EU] doesn't need any more cracks, more splits ... we shouldn't insert ourselves into what is an internal debate for Spain, but I wouldn't want the European Union to consist of 95 member states in the future."
Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy told senators direct rule was needed to return "law, democracy and stability" to Catalonia.
He said his cabinet had ordered regional elections to be held on December 21 adding that "we never wanted to come to this point" and the aim is "to return [Catalonia] to normality and legality as soon as possible".
The Catalan government was removed along with the head of the regional police force, the Mossos d’Esquadra. The Catalan government’s international “embassies” were also to be shut down.
Prosecutors are looking into bringing “rebellion” charges against the Catalan government and parliamentary officials who organised the vote.
In a square outside the government palace in Barcelona, an announcer told the crowd the news that Catalan's parliament would be dissolved - which was met by jeers and whistles.
Under Spanish law, rebellion can be punished with up to 30 years in prison, with shorter penalties if the act of rebellion does not lead to violence.
The Catalan government said that of the 43% of potential voters who took part, 90% were in favour of independence. But Spain's Constitutional Court ruled the vote illegal.
The European Union, the UK, Germany and the United States all said they would not recognise Catalan independence and expressed support for Madrid’s to preserve Spanish unity.
But Mr Rajoy said: “I have decided to call free, clean and legal elections as soon as possible to restore democracy,” adding that the aim of the measures was to “restore the self-government that has been eliminated by the decisions of the Catalan government”.
He had earlier called for cal following the Catalonia vote and promised the state would be returned to legal and constitutional order.
“What has happened today in the Catalan parliament is unequivocal proof of how necessary it was for the senate to approve the government’s proposals,” he said . “Today the Catalan parliament has approved something that, in the opinion of the great majority of people, is not just against the law, but is also a criminal act because it is intended to declare something that isn’t possible – Catalan independence."
Catalan President Carles Puigdemont called for supporters to "maintain the momentum" in a peaceful manner.
And the main secessionist group in Catalonia, the Catalan National Assembly (ANC), called on civil servants to refuse orders from the Spanish government in an act of "peaceful resistance".
In the wake of the vote, and the Spanish countermove there was no disruption to the festive mood amongst the thousands who came to celebrate independence.
While Spanish flags were removed from some regional government buildings in Catalonia thousands clapped and cheered in the streets of Barcelona, many drinking from bottles of Cava, as the votes were counted, before breaking into a spontaneous rendition of the regional anthem.
The crowd met every Yes vote with a cheer - and every No with a boo. At the end, there was a huge cheer.
Oriol Junqueras, Catalan vice-president and leader of the leftwing pro-independence ERC party, tweeted: “Yes. We have won the freedom to build a new country.”
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