The upper house of Spain’s parliament authorised central government to rule Catalonia directly from Madrid.
Spain's senate came up with the decision on Friday minutes after the restive region declared independence from Spain, reports Reuters.
The government of Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy Rajoy is now expected to convene his cabinet to adopt the first measures to govern Catalonia.
This could include firing the Barcelona government and assuming direct supervision of Catalan police forces.
Few minutes earlier, Catalonia’s parliament declared independence from Spain in defiance of the Madrid government.