Rajoy made the statement after an extraordinary cabinet meeting, which was held to deal with the law on the referendum passed on Wednesday by the Catalan parliament.

The Spanish government asked the constitutional court to suspend the bid and all members of the Catalan parliament involved in the referendum vote.

It also asked the court to warn officials and local mayors not to continue any action linked to the referendum.

Rajoy said the government was defending the rights of Spain’s citizens, including the Catalans, against “ghost laws”, which refers to the law passed by the region’s parliament on Wednesday.

“What happened yesterday is an act of dishonorable disobedience to our democratic institutions,” Rajoy said.

Also on Thursday, Spain’s Chief State Prosecutor Jose Manuel Maza said Catalan leaders could be charged with disobedience, abuse of power and embezzlement.