Spain dissolved Catalonia's parliament and called new regional elections after separatists voted for independence in a sharp escalation of a constitutional crisis that has stoked alarm in Europe. In a televised address after an emergency cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy also removed secessionist Catalan leader Carles Puigdemont and his executive.<br/><br/>Prime Minister Rajoy moved after the Senate gave his government sweeping powers to impose direct rule on the semi-autonomous region to quash its drive to break away from Spain. He called for regional elections on December 21 as part of efforts to restore normalcy after the vote in the Catalan parliament plunged Spain into uncharted waters. <br/><br/>After a months-long standoff with Madrid, regional lawmakers of Catalan voted 70 to 10 in the 135-member parliament to declare Catalonia a republic in the form of an independent and sovereign state. <br/><br/>Madrid's allies in the European Union and the United States rallied behind Prime Minister Rajoy. They voiced alarm over the latest developments in the deep constitutional crisis and expressed support for a united Spain. Germany, France, and Britain also rejected the notion of Catalan independence while the United Nations urged all concerned to seek solutions within the framework of Spanish constitution.