The Catalan parliament will be dissolved and new regional elections will take place on December 21, Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Friday.
"The state has enough measures to recover legal normality," said Rajoy in the speech, hours after the Catalan Parliament declared independence and the Spanish Senate passed a bill to enact Article 155, which gives Madrid control of Catalonia.
Other measures that Rajoy referred to include the dismissal of Catalan political leaders including the president, vice-president and ministers and the closure of Catalan embassies abroad, effective immediately.
Madrid also legally now has ultimate control of Catalan institutions, including the regional police force.
This is the first time in Spain's history that Article 155 has been activated and Rajoy said it was a "sad day".
Rajoy added that the government was also asking the Constitutional Court to invalidate the Catalan parliament's resolution on independence.
Earlier Friday, Catalonia's parliament declared independence from Spain in defiance of the Madrid government, which imposed a direct rule shortly after the Catalan parliament's vote.
The firing of the regional leaders is likely to meet with fierce opposition in Catalonia, where thousands have been celebrating the independence declaration.
Countries around the world have come out in support of Spain, including the United States and the European Union.
