Aliança Catalana launches a takeover bid on Junts before the municipal elections

Barcelona"The 'procesismo' has already been tried and we know what results it has, and, evidently, Catalonia needs something different and Manresa deserves a different project to achieve different results." In this way, Sílvia Orriols justified her refusal to join the unitary candidacy with Junts in the capital of Bages, where Sergi Perramon's new party is also located. She said this at the presentation of Aliança Catalana's mayoral candidate for Amposta, Èric Esteban, who was precisely the number 2 for the Junts in the previous elections and who resigned in February knowing he would not be the leader of the Junts list — he lost the primaries a year ago.

Despite the reproaches towards Junts, Aliança has launched a takeover bid for mayors and councilors from this party for the upcoming municipal elections, keeping in mind that it is the party with whom they have the most cross-border votes, with the aim of them leading or being part of their lists. This is confirmed by some of them to ARA. Others have preferred not to make their contacts public. The takeover bid to dye the country blue embraces cities, but also small towns. The strategy involves adding officials in these municipalities and having them personally responsible for finding members for the lists. Because Aliança has Orriols, but she is the tree that prevents seeing the forest. And in the forest, there is a lack of people and renowned individuals to lead the candidacy, as they already tried with former minister Jaume Giró for Barcelona.

In Amposta, they have succeeded with the former number 2 of Junts, who is now a non-attached councilor. Like Elvira Vidal, whom Aliança has also sounded out. The councilor from Tarragona ran for Junts, but broke with the municipal group a year ago due to Junts' decision not to join the PSC government. "I don't know what I will do, I have to think about it," she asserts. Although there are things she does not agree with, in a context of growth, she contemplates the option of joining for the next elections, even though she has also had contacts with the PSC.

In the capital of Tarragonès, Aliança has also sounded out the historic former convergent councilor Santi Pallàs, who admits to two meetings with "high-level officials" of the party. "They wanted to probe me to see if I was interested, but they didn't offer me a place on the lists," emphasizes the former deputy mayor. He rejected it, he explains, to maintain neutrality as president of the Tarragonès of the Consell de la República, despite advocating for the unity of Junts, ERC, Aliança, and the CUP, and refusing to classify Orriols' formation as far-right.

The Islamophobic party has also met with mayors, such as the one in Òrrius. Xavier Masgrau was first visited by the party's regional president, Josep Maria Prat, and a few weeks ago, by the organization secretary, Oriol Ges, to offer him the candidacy in this municipality of Maresme. "I can agree with toughening measures against recidivism, but Junts has already passed a law, and I struggle with the discourse of hate and Islamophobia," he explains to distance himself from Aliança. Masgrau is clear why they approached him: "They want to make as many lists as possible, but starting from scratch is complicated and they are looking for seniors, not juniors."

In the same region, they have approached another councilor, who identifies as "convergent to the core." This is Toni Subirà from Premià, son of one of the founders of CDC and former councilor of the Generalitat, Antoni Subirà. He states that the regional president offered him the possibility of being the head of the list, but he also rejected it. "This is not my project, Aliança has taken a turn that disconcerts me, we are about government and pacts, and they say that if they don't get an absolute majority, they won't govern with anyone, and the country has to move forward," he explains. At the same time, he highlights ideological divergences: "They have a position that is too closed and radical, outside of independence, on the economy or immigration we are different."

Attentive to the internal crises of Junts

In La Cerdanya, Aliança has sounded out one of the two councillors Junts has in Puigcerdà. They went to see him just after he made statements criticising that the list for the next elections would be decided "from offices" amidst the party's schism. "I may agree with the repeal of some taxes or with regularising immigration, but I have already committed myself to an independent party emerging from Junts," says José Martín. A month ago, the former head of the PDECat list, Carme Martí, who after being left out of the council has joined Aliança and is putting herself forward as the extreme right-wing party's mayoral candidate, proposed to him again, without success.

Indeed, Aliança has also knocked on the door of representatives of the now-defunct PDECat, grouped under the Ara Pacte Local banner, with the aim of carving out a niche in the post-convergence space. In fact, in Vic, the former number 2 of this party, Elisenda Carrera, would also have held talks with Aliança, although she has not wanted to speak with ARA. "There are rumours, but she hasn't told us anything," admit party sources.

Sources from the Juntaire municipal world agree in pointing out that they see a "naked takeover attempt" by Aliança, a result of the difficulties it faces in building lists. Faced with the avalanche of 'noes' in this strategy of sounding out elected officials indiscriminately, these same sources consider that Orriols' strategy is to keep knocking on doors until they obtain adhesions.

Aliança's offensive towards Junts members also reaches small towns. This is the case of El Rourell, which has fewer than 400 inhabitants. In this municipality in Alt Camp, party representatives went to the town hall to invite its mayor, Gemma Solé, to join their project. "We are a list linked to Junts, but we are public servants and we do not owe allegiance to any party, and we have rejected it," states the mayor, who assures that "Aliança is looking for people indiscriminately."

In El Pla de Santa Maria, also in Alt Camp, Aliança also met with the Junts-affiliated candidacy, but their representatives made it clear that they would remain linked to this party, with which they secured 9 out of 11 councilors. The mayor of the neighboring town of Cabra del Camp, Javier Latorre, is not ruling out running for Aliança or repeating with Junts. However, he only sets the condition of not talking about independence: "Here 75% of the population is against it and if a Catalan flag appears in the propaganda, we lose." This is what he conveyed in a meeting in Valls to the representatives of Aliança, whom he urged to discuss it after the summer because he still doesn't know if he will run again. "I have a broken heart because what Aliança promotes is liked, but in the end, the people on the list have to decide," he points out.

Beyond the offers to Junts and PDECat leaders, Aliança is also talking to representatives of independent lists. This is corroborated by the mayor of Arbúcies, who presides over Independents de la Selva, which has 50 councilors, and Independents de Catalunya, which reached 27. "Some elected officials have informed us that Aliança has called three or four people who were part of a couple of lists from La Selva to incorporate them into their candidacies," says Pere Garriga, mayor of Arbúcies and president of the two groups.