BARCELONA, Spain — Spain’s main opposition party confirmed on Friday that it would support the central government if it took steps to dissolve the Catalan regional Parliament in order to head off its drive for secession.

A representative of the Spanish Socialist party said that it backed the use of Article 155 of the Spanish Constitution, which allows the central government to take control of one of Spain’s 17 autonomous regions, including Catalonia, if it deems it a threat to the national interest.

The crisis was sparked by an Oct. 1 independence referendum in Catalonia, in which 90 percent of the Catalans who voted chose to secede from Spain. Only about 43 percent of the electorate voted, however.

The Spanish courts had declared the referendum illegal, and the Spanish police attempted to prevent the balloting from taking place, often using violence that left hundreds injured.