Pledge comes after Spain’s ruling People’s party says constitution has safeguards to prevent individual states declaring laws that affect all Spaniards

The Catalan government vowed on Wednesday to move forward with its secession process, defying orders from Spain’s top court and raising the stakes in the showdown playing out between the regional government and Madrid.

Earlier in the day, Spain’s constitutional court suspended the Catalan law that set out a path to independence, warning lawmakers in the region that they could face criminal charges if they defy the ruling.

The Catalan government responded swiftly, saying that the Catalan legislation was still in effect. “The political will of the government of Catalonia is to go ahead with the content of the resolution approved Monday by the Catalan parliament,” Neus Munté, vice president of the Catalan government, told reporters.

Munté pointed to the debate and vote that had preceded the passing of the Catalan legislation. “We are fulfilling and will continue to fulfil the mandate of a sovereign parliament,” she said.

In a special meeting on Wednesday, the court unanimously agreed to hear the central government’s challenge, filed hours earlier. The decision means the Catalan legislation will be suspended for up to five months while judges hear arguments and reach a decision.

Spain’s prime minister, Mariano Rajoy, described the Catalan legislation as an affront to democracy. He said of the government’s challenge: “It’s not just a reaction to a motion passed in parliament, this is about defending a whole country.”

He cited Spain’s constitution, which impedes regions from unilaterally making decisions that affect all Spaniards, to back his view. “This is a blatant disregard for the state’s institutions. They are trying to do away with democracy. I will not allow it,” he said.

The Catalan legislation calls for further laws to be drawn up to facilitate the creation of an independent social security system and tax authority within the next 30 days. In anticipation that it would be blocked by Spanish courts, the legislation specifies that the regional parliament will no longer be bound to decisions made by institutions of the Spanish state, in particular the constitutional court.

The appeal filed by Rajoy’s conservative People’s party government retaliates with a request aimed at quelling defiance among Catalan leaders. The legal challenge singles out 21 high-ranking Catalan officials, from the acting leader, Artur Mas, to the house speaker, Carme Forcadell, and asks the court to warn them of the consequences of disregarding its orders.

Earlier this year the central government passed legislation outlining steep sanctions and suspensions for leaders who fail to comply with the orders of the constitutional court.

After several stymied attempts to hold a formal referendum on independence, Catalan leaders have raised the stakes in recent months. In September, separatists sought to turn regional elections into a de facto referendum on independence. he parties committed to outright independence garnered 48% of the vote, falling short of the 50% threshold that would have been required in a referendum.

On Wednesday Rajoy sought to highlight what he saw as a hijacking of democracy by a minority. “We’re defending the rights of all citizens, particularly the rights of citizens in Catalonia,” he said. “They are trying to eliminate national sovereignty, to take away from Spaniards and many in Catalonia the right to decide what the country is, that does not happen in any country in the world and less so in the 21st century.”

Since the election in September, Catalan separatists have struggled to form a government. The nationalist coalition Together for Yes won 62 seats in the 135-seat parliament and the far-left pro-independence Popular Unity Candidacy (CUP) won 10 seats, paving the way for a potential alliance to form a majority.

But CUP has steadfastly refused to support Mas as leader, pointing to austerity measures implemented by his centre-right government and a string of corruption scandals plaguing his Democratic Convergence party. On Tuesday, Mas failed to reach the necessary number of votes to be named as leader. The next vote is expected to be held on Thursday. The regional parliament has until 9 January to form a government or new elections must be called.