Albiach sees herself repeating as a candidate in 2028: does the Comuns' code of ethics allow it?

BarcelonaThe leader of Comuns in the Parliament, Jéssica Albiach, has opened up to running again as a candidate in the Catalan elections scheduled for 2028: "I believe we are doing a very good job," she stated in an Europa Press interview, although she qualified that the decision does not depend solely on her: "It's not just my issue, it's the party's issue. And there are two years left, but, well, I am where I want to be." Albiach has defended her group's role in the current legislature, with only six deputies: "Six deputies have never yielded so much." However, could Albiach run again in 2028?

According to the ethical code of Catalunya en Comú – approved in 2018 –, the commons limit consecutive terms in the same position to two – or their equivalent in years in case of early elections (8 years) –, extendable to a third "for extraordinary reasons debated, agreed upon, and approved by the national council." Albiach has been the head of the list in the 2021 and 2024 elections: repeating in 2028 would, therefore, be her third term in this specific position, the limit that the rule allows only with the express endorsement of the highest representative body. Furthermore, she has presided over the parliamentary group since 2018 and has been a deputy uninterruptedly since 2015 – although at that time she ran under the Podemos umbrella – which is why she also accumulates more time than foreseen in these other positions.

However, even though they are different parties and ethical codes, the most recent precedent similar to Albiach's case is that of Colau and BComú. In October, the party modified its ethical code to replace the limit of three terms with a cap of twelve years, a change that opened the door for Ada Colau to run again as a candidate for the mayoralty of Barcelona. That is to say, they moved away from the three-term formula, because it was unclear if a councilor did not complete the term, and replaced it with a maximum period of 12 years.

In the same interview, Albiach also explains that the coalition being negotiated "discreetly" at the state level between parties to the left of the PSOE – Comuns, Més Madrid, IU, and Sumar – will have "very good news" by September.