Court dismisses petition to oust Quim Torra from presidency

Catalonia's high court (TSJC) has rejected the People's Party complaint against the Catalan president, Quim Torra, seeking to oust him from his post. 

TSJC did not accept the complaint for consideration and stated it is a matter for the Catalan parliament to discuss. 

The conservatives argued that since Torra had been stripped of his MP status, this should carry an immediate ousting of his presidential job. 

Yet, the judges said that there is no automatic procedure that confirms that one event necessarily must lead to the other, and it is therefore a matter for the chamber to decide whether or not to oust him. 

The People's Party had filed a criminal lawsuit against Torra accusing him of usurpation of public functions. 

Yellow ribbons

Following the TSJC finding Torra guilty of disobedience for failing to remove yellow ribbons in favor of jailed pro-independence leaders from public buildings during the Spanish election campaign period in April 2019 , Spain's electoral board stripped his MP status. 

However, this decision was not final, and Torra appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court, which is still yet to have its say. 

Does losing MP status carry being ousted as president?

What the Supreme Court already did rule on was the president's appeal against the electoral board, and Spain's top judges sided against Torra.

Subsequently, the Catalan parliament stripped his MP status – leading to a row between government partners –. According to Catalan law, the president has to remain MP in order to take office.

Yet the law does not say that the president needs to remain as Member of Parliament during their entire term – Torra's defense had used this argument to stay in office. The chamber has already rejected stripping the president of his job as Catalonia's top authority.