Girona's pro-independence movement chooses its rival: Sílvia Paneque

Barcelona / GironaThe Minister of Territory, Housing, and Ecological Transition, Sílvia Paneque, is one of the pillars of Salvador Illa's government. The President of the Generalitat entrusted her with two of the portfolios expected to play the most prominent role during this legislative term: housing and the Rodalies commuter rail network. She was also given the task of serving as the government spokesperson. Paneque, a close confidante of Illa, received the offer to join the government just over a year after winning the municipal elections in Girona as the PSC candidate. However, the mayoralty slipped through her fingers when Guanyem formed a pro-independence government with ERC and Junts, With Lluc Salellas at the helm. Now, with the countdown to the municipal elections underway, the Girona pro-independence movement has seen the Rodalies commuter rail chaos as the ideal opportunity to try and weaken Paneque, with an eye toward a possible mayoral candidacy in 2027.

With the rail crisis at its peak, Salellas himself launched a campaign denouncing the poor functioning of the rail service, demanding "urgent reviews" of the line that passes through Girona. Although he did not explicitly call for Paneque's resignation, he did demand changes from the Department of Territory and accused the Socialists of having been complicit in years of disinvestment in the network. Paneque's name and his management have been prominently featured in the extraordinary plenary sessions of the Girona City Council in recent weeks, with accusations flying back and forth between the tripartite municipal government and the opposition PSC. Salellas, the only non-socialist mayor of a Catalan capital, has thus become the face of discontent within local government over the constant service disruptions and the lack of coordination between Adif, Renfe, and the Catalan government. "Local government must raise its voice," he wrote in an article in Digital was born.

Calls for resignation in the Provincial Council

In this pre-election context in Girona, since the outbreak of the Rodalies commuter rail chaos, it is no coincidence that, of the four Catalan provincial councils, Girona is the only one that has called for his resignation. Seven municipalities with pro-independence majorities have also done so, including Salt, Ripoll, Celrà, Viladamat, Llagostera, Sant Jordi Desvalls, and Ribes de Freser. All at the request of the CUP (Popular Unity Candidacy). These calls for resignation come in addition to that of the Catalan Parliament. supported by all political forces except the PSC and Comuns.

Junts has also exerted considerable local pressure, with actions like this week's protest at train stations in the Alt Empordà region, where Girona natives Salvador Vergés – spokesperson in the Catalan Parliament – ​​and Marta Madrenas – former mayor of Girona and member of Congress – demanded "Renfe be expelled from Catalonia," once again targeting Paneque.

Will he repeat this?

But will Paneque be the PSC candidate in 2027? For now, the councilor is avoiding making a statement, and those close to her say she is fully focused on her ministry, with housing and mobility as her main concerns. In any case, neither she nor the party are expected to make an immediate decision about her future as a potential mayoral candidate.

According to sources, everything will also depend on the opinion of Salvador Illa, who has rallied around Paneque in the face of calls for her resignation and has endorsed her handling of the crisis. Nevertheless, there are those who point to her strong electoral appeal in Girona, a region where she remains deeply rooted despite the fact that the epicenter of her activity has shifted to the Generalitat (Catalan government). "There is no better candidate than Paneque, but we have to see what happens," a Socialist source told this newspaper.

From the local party executive, who highly value Paneque's work in the Government, they also insist that "it's still too early" and that, when the time is right, a decision will be made following internal procedures and consulting with the membership. "We believe that less noise and more collaboration between administrations are needed," party sources acknowledge regarding the accusations of recent weeks.

Beyond what Paneque does in 2027, at the Socialist headquarters on Pallars Street, they believe there is a pool of candidates to choose a successor if necessary. Notable among them are Marc Lamuà, currently a member of Congress, and the Pere Parramon, sub-delegate of the Spanish government in GironaAnother name in the running is Beatriz Espeñín, head of the opposition in Girona, who has taken over the day-to-day management and oversight of Lluc Salellas' government after the departure of Paneque, who was a councilor between 2011 and 2024.