Catalan Lawmakers Vote for Independence in Defiance of Spain

President Carles Puigdemont and lawmakers in the Parliament of Catalonia in Barcelona have moved to implement a new Catalonian republic, independent from Spain. In response, the Spanish Senate in Madrid has given Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy the power—under Article 155 of the 1978 Constitution—to oust the rebel leaders and seize control of the autonomous region. Rajoy moved quickly to fire Puigdemont and his cabinet, dissolve Catalan's Parliament and call fresh regional elections to be held on Dec. 21.

What happens next, nobody knows.