Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy says Spain is firing the Catalan government as part of emergency measures the Senate approved following the region’s declaration of independence Friday.

Rajoy says he’s dissolving the Catalan parliament and calling for a new regional election on Dec. 21.

Rajoy was speaking after a special Cabinet meeting to discuss what measures to take in the wake of the Catalan parliament’s announcement of secession.

The firing of the regional leaders is likely to meet with fierce opposition in Catalonia, where thousands have been celebrating the independence declaration.

The government has been authorized to dismiss the regional government and curtail the Catalan parliament’s powers.

Separatist Catalan lawmakers in the regional parliament had earlier celebrated as the vote was approved with 70 votes in favor of independence, 10 against and 2 blank. Most opposition lawmakers left the chamber in protest moments before the vote.

The Catalan motion called for the start of an independence process that includes drafting Catalonia’s new top laws and opening negotiations “on equal footing” with Spanish authorities to establish cooperation.

The federal government in Madrid opposes the independence bid. Spain's Constitutional Court declared illegal a referendum earlier this month in which the Catalan government said 90% backed independence. Hundreds of people were injured in clashes with police as the referendum took place.

A spokesman with Spain’s prosecutor office told the Associated Press that the country’s top prosecutor will seek rebellion charges for the politicians responsible for the independence vote. Under Spanish criminal law, rebellion can be punished with up to 25 years in prison.

The U.S. State Department said Friday that it supports Spain’s government in its efforts to stop Catalonia’s independence bid. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said, “Catalonia is an integral part of Spain, and the United States supports the Spanish government’s constitutional measures to keep Spain strong and united.”

Catalonia, with a population of 7.5 million, is one of the wealthiest regions in Spain.

Contributing: the Associated Press

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