From ERC, Junts and the PSC in Aliança: the signings of Sílvia Orriols

BarcelonaERC's support for Salvador Illa's investiture broke the group of Republicans in America, the town of Carles Puigdemont. Its head of the list, Eduard Àngel, and the councillor Clara Dalmau became unaffiliated councillors as a sign of disagreement with the endorsement of the socialist candidate, and there are only two councillors left in the republican ranks. Well, the candidate of the republicans, according to what the ARA has been able to find out, has joined Aliança Catalana and is presenting himself to form part of the leadership of the party in La Selva.

"I looked at the Aliança programme; I have been following them and it makes me angry that they are labelled as extreme right," he says to justify his move to Sílvia Orriols' party. The possible motion of censure against the mayor of Ripoll only reaffirms his position: "That the pro-independence parties do not have a common project to achieve independence but do have a common project to oust the most pro-independence mayor in the country seems incomprehensible to me."

"The Alliance only says that whoever comes must adapt, because uncontrolled immigration has arrived and we will end up diluted as a people," says Ángel, who believes that if "Sweden, with the resources it has, does not succeed, neither will Catalonia." "Most of the criminal acts are committed by Arabs, who, in addition, impose their customs in the face of the failure of the left," adds the councillor, who is clear that he will put together the list for Aliança in Amer if he manages to add neighbours to the project.

This is not the only signing of Esquerra that Aliança has made. The most significant is that of Jordi Coma, who made a tandem with Orriols for Girona on 12-M, after having been a member of ERC for a quarter of a century and being a councillor for two terms in Olot. The head of the list for Lleida also comes from ERC. Ramon Abad, who in 2019 was on the Republican list in Alpicat, was elected deputy until he left a few months ago for health reasons, but remains as secretary of organization in the demarcation. He was accompanied, as number 5, by Cristina Lafay, former ERC mayor of Castelló de Farfanya, who tore up her party card after losing the primaries against Omar Noumri, The first Muslim mayor of Catalonia.

The new member of the Osona regional leadership of Aliança in January is Jordi Pratdesaba, who stood for the Republican lists in Santa Eugènia de Berga in both 2011 and 2015. He will share the team with Marina Quintana, former Juntos councillor. Aliança is holding congresses, especially in the regions where he got better results in the last Catalan elections, to provide leadership and prepare lists for the municipal elections. The two leaders from Osona occupied the last places on the lists for Barcelona and it is expected that they will now do so in their towns.

The main additions, from the post-convergent world

The post-Convergent world, however, has suffered the most losses to Alianza. Beyond Francesc Fabregat, former mayor of Bellvís from 1999 to 2015 and former president of the Pla d'Urgell Regional Council for CiU, who died in August, other heavyweights of this party have entered Aliança. Salvador Bonjoch, who was mayor of Bellpuig between 2011 and 2019, and who also chaired the Regional Council with Junts, has signed a collaboration agreement between the independent formation that he now leads and Aliança.

Another lifelong Convergent, Genís Pinart, son of the historic CiU mayor of Port de la Selva from 1994 to 2011, is the new president of Aliança in Alt Empordà since February, after occupying number 7 on the list for Girona. The person who closed the list for Barcelona is still a councillor, but from an independent party in Bagà. This is Pep Llamas, who was the coordinator of Junts in Berguedà until 2022, when he lost the primaries. The person who remains in the Junts group is Ramon Porta, the head of the list for Carles Puigdemont's party in Tírvia, despite becoming a member of Aliança and going number 3 for Lleida on 12-M.

Also on the lists, in this case number 5 for Tarragona, was Francina Suau, who in the municipal elections was number 2 for PDECat in Calafell. And number 4 for Barcelona was Esther Baldajos, the new president of Aliança in Alt Penedès since October after being part of the leadership of Junts in this region. Caritat Garcia, former national councillor of Junts and former secretary of organisation in Tortosa, was not part of the lists. She had previously been ERC's secretary, after being the president of Solidaridad in the Ebro and spokesperson for Reagrupament.

The most important signing that Aliança has made from the PSC also comes from Tortosa. It is the number 3 on the Tarragona list, Eduard Rel, who was the party's vice-first secretary in the capital of Ebro. The until recently PSC councillor in Borredà, Miquel Mendoza, left the Town Hall once he joined Aliança.