Spain's central electoral commission moved to oust Quim Torra as president of the Catalan government, the Financial Times reported Jan. 4.

The commission voted 7-6 to remove the pro-independence Torra as a deputy in Catalonia's regional parliament, a position he needs to be in as the region's president, according to the report. Torra has headed the Catalan administration for two years, the report said.

The decision reportedly stemmed from a court ruling in December 2019 that barred Torra from public office for 1.5 years, as he had displayed political symbols in public buildings during an election period.

The ruling, however, did not take immediate effect as an appeal could be filed in the country's Supreme Court, the report said. Catalonia's own electoral commission had also rejected a request by Spain's three top right-of-center parties to kick out Torra ahead of a Supreme Court decision.

Torra reportedly called for an extraordinary session of the Catalan regional parliament to dismiss the central electoral commission's ruling. "As long as the [Catalan] parliament is in agreement, I will remain Catalan president," Torra was quoted by the FT as saying.

Adriana Lastra, the parliamentary spokeswoman for the Socialist party, urged the Supreme Court to make a decision on the matter as soon as possible, according to the report.