The Spanish government has stripped Catalonia of its autonomy and taken charge of its government.

An official state bulletin dismissed Catalan leaders and handed control of Catalonia to Spain's Deputy Prime Minister, Soraya Saenz de Santamaria, the BBC reported Saturday.

Earlier, Spain's interior ministry took charge of Catalonia's police after firing senior Catalan police officials.

On Friday, PM Mariano Rajoy announced the dissolution of the regional parliament and the removal of the Catalan leader, and called snap local elections. 

The Catalan regional parliament voted on Friday afternoon to declare independence from Spain.

Soon after, the Spanish Senate granted Rajoy's government the power to impose direct rule on Catalonia.

Source: MENA