President Torra calls on electoral authority to not execute his ousting

The Catalan president, Quim Torra, has called on Spain's electoral authority not to execute his ousting, ruled on Friday evening.

His defense argued on Saturday morning that he will challenge the recent decision at the Supreme Court through an urgent appeal – once filed, the judges will have to decide in the following hours whether to suspend the electoral board's ruling.

Torra asked not to execute the ruling, addressing the provincial electoral authority that was ordered by the central one to officially inform the Catalan president of his ousting. The ruling on Friday said that once officially notified, he would be removed as MP with immediate effect.

According to Catalan law, the president has to remain an MP in order to take office – the president's defense argues that the law does not say that the president needs to remain as Member of Parliament during their entire term.