Glòria Freixa: "Carles Puigdemont loves me and Xavier Trias loves me"

BarcelonaGlòria Freixa (Barcelona, 1969) says she is running in the primaries for her children. She exudes drive and conviction.

What has led her to take this step?

— My children tell me that fresh air is needed, and I believe I can demonstrate that Junts' project is very much alive.

How would you define yourself as a candidate compared to the others?

— I am the middle lane. I am a person who comes from Convergència, with great pride, but I embody all the sensitivities of Junts. I don't think anyone can say of me that I am close to one or the other.

But within the Junts amalgam, where does it stand?

— I am aware of the liberal current, but I have very few complexes about my party's discourse.

What is his relationship with Carles Puigdemont?

— Very good. I love Carles Puigdemont and I love Xavier Trias.

Would you be in favor of voting for a motion of no confidence to remove Pedro Sánchez?

— I completely agree with what my colleagues in Madrid are doing.

What is your recipe to face the threat posed by Aliança Catalana to Junts?

— Aliança Catalana is a response to the frustration of many citizens as a response to many years of radical left-wing policies. The only recipe is to defend your own project, and in the end, people will trust those who can govern well. With the issue of immigration, which is where they make themselves strong, what is needed is to listen more to the citizens. Saying that nothing is happening is no solution, we must be able to talk about it. They used to tell me all sorts of things for fighting against occupations.

But do you consider Aliança Catalana a far-right force?

— All the people I know who tell me they will vote for Aliança Catalana say they are not far-right. If you listen to them in Parliament on most issues, they are in a normal position, but when they touch on immigration, they are indeed far-right. And here they vote with Vox.

With which parties could you reach an agreement to form a government in Barcelona?

— Absolute majorities are over, and you can't stay alone in a corner, that's true. I would be open to exploring all options, but prioritizing independence alliances. That said, in Parliament I have an excellent relationship with ERC, with the PSC and even with the CUP.

If you were mayor, would you maintain the ban on tourist apartments?

— This ban does not exist, because Mayor Collboni has coincidentally announced it for after the term ends, in 2028. It is evident that there cannot be tourist apartments everywhere, but we must think about what we are solving by eliminating them all, because this makes it difficult for a family with children to come on vacation. And you would probably ruin family tourism. There can be no more free pronouncements like this outside your term. Meanwhile, there are many official protection housing promotions that are not being carried out. Let's do what a public administration should do, which is to build housing.

Have you seen the series Ravalejar?

— No.

It's about a vulture fund that buys a building in the Raval and evicts the owners of a restaurant. Should operations like this be restricted?

— Yes, but could we also consider that policies have led to total insecurity for property owners? All day long we talk about speculation by vulture funds, and there isn't that much, but we are indeed making it grow. What should we do? Encourage small property owners. With rent control, all the supply has disappeared for us. I would provide guarantees for all property owners and a large housing bank for young people.

Are vulture funds not a problem, then?

— We are selling a message that suits many people but is not so real in the city of Barcelona. Should they be stopped? Yes. Should any investment disappear completely? No. Look, in Ireland they have ended price controls because funds have left and nobody is building anything. Enough of populism.

Do you have any star proposals from your candidacy?

— The central axis of my campaign will be Barcelona, capital of Catalonia. You enter through the airport or by road and nowhere do you see that it is the capital of a great country. And it cannot be that for five metro stops absolutely no one is heard speaking Catalan. In Montreal you can live in English, but if you don't speak French you can't even work as a dishwasher. We have to start making Catalan essential here too.