Spain cracks down hard after Catalonia declares independence

In one of the most momentous days in recent Spanish history, Spain fired Catalonia's regional government and dissolved its parliament Friday after a defiant Catalan declaration of independence that flouted the country's constitution.

People react as they celebrate the unilateral declaration of independence of Catalonia outside the Catalan Parliament, in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/ Emilio Morenatti)

Catalonias' regional Parliament passed a motion Friday to establish an independent Catalan Republic. (AP Photo/ Emilio Morenatti)

Lawmakers in the Catalan parliament voted to unilaterally declare independence, prompting the swift crackdown by the Spanish government, which also called an early election in the region.

Hours after Catalonia's secession move, the Spanish Senate granted the government special constitutional powers to stop the wealthy region's move toward independence.

Holding Spanish flags, demonstrators confront Catalan police as they are prevented from moving forward during a march against the unilateral declaration of independence approved earlier by the Catalan parliament in downtown Barcelona Friday, Oct. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy's conservative government then called an urgent Cabinet meeting late Friday, after which Rajoy emerged to announce the emergency measures, including regional elections called for Dec. 21.

People wave "estelada" or pro independence flags in Barcelona, Spain, after Catalonia's regional parliament passed a motion with which they say they are establishing an independent Catalan Republic, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)

In Barcelona, Catalonia's regional capital, Rajoy's announcement in a televised address was greeted with jeers and whistles of disapproval from crowds who had gathered at the gates of the government palace to celebrate their parliament's moves toward independence.

Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, centre, is applauded after a speech at the Senate in Madrid, Spain, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Paul White)

Rajoy has appealed to the country's Senate to grant special constitutional measures that would allow the central government to take control of Catalonia's autonomous powers to try to halt the region's independence bid. (AP Photo/Paul White)

"It's not about suspending or meddling in the self-government (of Catalonia), but to return it to normality and legality as soon as possible," Rajoy said.

The government and Spain's Constitutional Court have both said the secession bid was illegal, and after Friday's independence vote, Rajoy said it was a move that "not only goes against the law but is a criminal act."

Protesters hold Catalan flags during a rally outside the Catalan parliament in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)

Catalonia's parliament on Friday will resume debating its response to the Spanish government's plans to strip away its regional powers to halt it pushing toward independence.(AP Photo/Santi Palacios)

Rajoy also said he was firing the head of the Catalan regional police, shutting down the Catalan government's overseas offices, and dismissing its representatives in Madrid and in Brussels, where the European Union has its headquarters.

After the Catalan parliament independence vote, Rajoy said it was a move that "in the opinion of a large majority of people not only goes against the law but is a criminal act."

Protesters shout as they watch Catalan President Carles Puigdemont speaking in parliament, on a giant screen during a rally outside the Catalan parliament in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)

The Senate's decision giving Rajoy special powers trumped the Catalan regional parliament's vote to secede, which was doomed because the Constitutional Court has already consistently ruled against any steps toward independence.

Pro independence supporters celebrate in the street in Barcelona, Spain, after Catalonia's regional parliament passed a motion with which they say they are establishing an independent Catalan Republic, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)

The battle around Catalonia's future is far from over, however.

Madrid's move to take away Catalonia's regional powers was sure to be seen as a humiliation and a provocation by Catalans and a backlash was expected, with planned street protests and the possibility that regional government workers could follow a policy of disobedience or non-cooperation.

People wave "estelada" or pro independence flags celebrating in the street in Barcelona, Spain, after Catalonia's regional parliament passed a motion with which they say they are establishing an independent Catalan Republic, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)

On top of that, the Dec. 21 election could deliver a steadfastly pro-independence Catalan parliament, even if recent polls have suggested the region of 7.5 million people is roughly evenly split on secession.

Many Catalans strongly oppose independence and a group of so-called unionists was organizing a large-scale protest in Barcelona on Sunday.

People react as they celebrate the unilateral declaration of independence of Catalonia outside the Catalan Parliament, in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017. Catalonias' regional Parliament passed a motion Friday to establish an independent Catalan Republic. (AP Photo/ Emilio Morenatti)

A spokesman for Spain's prosecutor's office, meanwhile, said it would seek to bring rebellion charges against those responsible for the Catalan independence vote.

(AP Photo/Santi Palacios)

The tense day, featuring emotional speeches and scenes of joy and despair, went to the heart of Spain's political and cultural history.

The 1978 constitution, drawn up after the end of Gen. Francisco Franco's decades-long dictatorship, created a decentralized Spanish state that devolved power to 17 autonomous regions, including Catalonia. The regions have broad administrative and legal powers. The Spanish constitution, however, also describes Spain as "indivisible."

(AP Photo/ Emilio Morenatti)

Separatist lawmakers erupted in applause as the vote was approved with 70 votes in favor of independence, 10 against and 2 blank ballots. Most opposition lawmakers had left the chamber in protest moments before the vote. (AP Photo/Santi Palacios)

Catalonia has its own cultural traditions and its own language. Having long seen itself as different from the rest of Spain, the Catalan drive for independence began in 2010 when the Constitutional Court struck down key parts of a groundbreaking charter that would have granted the region greater autonomy and recognized it as a nation within Spain.

Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, center right, and Vice President Oriol Junqueras, center left, gather with other lawmakers after a vote on independence on the steps inside the Catalan parliament in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Catalonia represents a fifth of Spain's gross domestic product and many want the tax revenues generated by the prosperous region to remain at home.

The motion to secede was approved by the 135-member Catalan parliament, where secessionists hold a slim majority, with 70 votes in favor. Opposition lawmakers had walked out of the chamber in protest ahead of the vote.

(AP Photo/Santi Palacios)

After the vote officials and lawmakers let loose cries of "Freedom!"

In an emotional scene, regional leader Carles Puigdemont called on cheering fellow separatists to remain peaceful.

"In the days ahead we must keep to our values of pacifism and dignity. It's in our, in your hands, to build the republic," Puigdemont said.

Catalan President Carles Puigdemont, right, and Vice President Oriol Junqueras applaud after a vote on independence inside the Catalan parliament in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Outside parliament, thousands who had gathered cheered the news, some dancing and raising a toast. In Barcelona, people crowded around TV sets to watch the historic events unfold. The famous Sant Jaume Square outside the regional government office was packed with thousands of people celebrating. Many were draped with the "Estelada" flag that adds a blue triangle to the red and yellow Catalan flag and has become a symbol of the separatist struggle.

Maria Salut, 50, center, reacts as they celebrate the unilateral declaration of independence of Catalonia outside the Catalan Parliament, in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/ Emilio Morenatti)

"I feel so emotional after the huge fight we went through, we finally got it ... the independence of Catalonia!" said 74-year-old Rosalina Cordera Torelles.

Nearby, 24-year-old Rita Carboneras could hardly contain her excitement.

"I'm super, super, super happy. Super excited," she said. "So relieved. Now we are Catalan at last. We can be ourselves. We are just happy, look everyone around. Everything is so exciting."

Opposition Catalan lawmakers hold Spanish national flags and Estelada's before leaving the chamber to boycott a vote on independence inside the Catalan parliament in Barcelona, Spain, Friday, Oct. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

The exhilaration was short-lived. Some 500 kilometers (300 miles) to the southwest, the Senate in Madrid voted by an overwhelming margin of 214 to 47 in favor of granting the government exceptional powers.

(AP Photo/ Emilio Morenatti)

The main opposition Socialist and pro-business Citizens parties support Rajoy's stance on Catalonia, and many Spaniards outside the region are scornful of Catalonia's secession ambitions.

Rajoy has also received support from outside Spain, with other European leaders, including Germany, France and Britain, rejecting Catalonia's claims. The U.S. administration also backed Rajoy, after President Donald Trump last month branded the Catalan independence ballot as "foolish."

Anti-independence supporters shout slogans and wave Spanish flags as they march against the unilateral declaration of independence approved earlier by the Catalan parliament in downtown Barcelona Friday, Oct. 27, 2017. (AP Photo/Francisco Seco)

"Catalonia is an integral part of Spain, and the United States supports the Spanish government's constitutional measures to keep Spain strong and united," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said in a statement.

(AP Photo/ Emilio Morenatti)

Also supporting Rajoy's warnings of trouble in Catalonia if it forges ahead with its secession bid, more than 1,500 businesses have moved their official headquarters out of Catalonia this month to ensure they can continue operating under European Union laws if Catalonia secedes.

The EU says Catalonia will be tossed out of the bloc if it leaves Spain and would have to apply to become a member, a lengthy process.

MADRID (AP) — Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez was reelected as secretary-general of his Socialist Party over the weekend despite corruption probes besetting his inner circle.

One of Europe’s longest-serving leaders, Sánchez has displayed adroit negotiating skills to stay in power since 2018, when he led Spain's only successful no-confidence motion against his conservative predecessor. Last year he defied polls to win reelection by stitching together a fragile coalition and earning another term through 2027.

But the 52-year-old Sánchez, known abroad for his dashing looks and English fluency, is being corralled by a series of legal cases — all still in the investigative phase — that have focused on a former member of his Cabinet as well as his wife and, most recently, his brother.

Here's a look at the judicial onslaught that Sánchez and his party say is baseless and part of a right-wing “smear campaign."

Sánchez stunned Spain last April when he said he was taking five days from his public agenda to consider his political future after his wife, Begoña Gómez, had been placed under investigation by a Spanish judge.

He eventually announced he would stay in power and launch an effort to tackle what he called fake news that is “mudding” Spanish politics.

The judge is probing allegations of influence peddling and corruption by Gómez. The allegations were made by Manos Limpias (Clean Hands), a small group whose leader has links to the far-right. The group calls itself a union and has often tried to litigate against elected officials, and even against the sister of the current king of Spain.

The Socialist Party pounced on the fact that the allegations were based on articles published by media, mostly websites, with right-wing leanings.

Sánchez refused to answer questions when he was summoned by the judge, citing his prerogative as prime minister.

Gómez has also been dragged before a committee led by regional lawmakers in the Madrid region who say they are looking into her role as the director of a master’s program at a public university. She denies any wrongdoing.

Also under investigation is the prime minister's brother, David Sánchez. In that case, too, Manos Limpias was behind the accusations of alleged influence peddling.

Last week, a judge announced she was investigating how David Sánchez was named to his post in the Department of Culture in the Badajoz provincial government in southwest Spain. David Sánchez denied any wrongdoing through his lawyer.

Government spokeswoman Pilar Alegría said last week that while the government respects the separation of powers and the judicial processes, she found “suspicious similarities” between the cases involving the prime minister’s wife and brother.

“We are at ease because we know there is nothing to these cases," she said.

Another case that has been on slow boil for several months revolves around an alleged corruption ring of business people and government officials suspected of having taken kickbacks for contracts to buy medical supplies during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The scandal led to the Socialist Party expelling a former transport minister, Luis Ábalos, who had been a close confidant to Sánchez until he reshuffled his Cabinet in 2021 before the scandal broke. Ábalos denies any wrongdoing and has clung to his seat in parliament, now as an independent lawmaker.

A tax evasion case against the partner of a fierce political rival of Sánchez, the conservative leader of the powerful Madrid region, has also ended up backfiring politically for the Socialists.

The businessman boyfriend of Isabel Díaz Ayuso, a firebrand Popular Party politician in charge of the central Madrid region, is being investigated for not paying his fair share in taxes.

But he hit back accusing state prosecutors of having violated his right to privacy for having leaked confidential financial and personal details. A court took up the complaint and is targeting Spain’s top state prosecutor, who was put in his position by Sánchez’s government. The top state prosecutor has defended his actions.

Last week, things got worse for the Socialists when their top politician in the Madrid region stepped down after he was implicated in the possible revelation of personal information.

Still, Sánchez appears to have — at least for now — the political coverage he needs to remain in charge.

He maintains the support of several regional parties that have kept his coalition between his Socialists and the farther-to-the-left Sumar party muddling along.

Also helping his longevity is the fact that the only alternative to his leadership is a right-wing coalition between the Popular Party and the far-right Vox party, a prospect that is anathema to some regional parties whose support was key to Sánchez's victory last year.

At the meeting of his Socialist Party, Sánchez urged optimism and hit back against his opponents: “Let the right be the ones with regrets and the ashy gray of pessimism.”

Wilson reported from Barcelona.

FILE - Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez grimaces during a press conference after meeting with Slovenia's Prime Minister Robert Golob, in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Tuesday, April 16, 2024. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic, File)