Girona's independentism chooses rival: Sílvia Paneque

Barcelona / GironaThe Minister of Territory, Housing and Ecological Transition, Sílvia Paneque, is one of the cornerstones of Salvador Illa's government. The President of the Generalitat entrusted her with two of the portfolios destined to have more prominence during the legislature: housing and Rodalies. In addition, she also has the task of being the spokesperson for the executive. Paneque, a person of utmost confidence for 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 mayor's office slipped through her fingers when Guanyem agreed with ERC and Junts on a pro-independence government, with Lluc Salellas at the helm. Now, with the countdown to the municipal elections already underway, Girona's pro-independence movement has seen in the Rodalies chaos the ideal opportunity to try to wear down Paneque, ahead of a possible candidacy in the city in 2027.

With the railway crisis at its peak, Salellas himself launched a campaign of denunciation for the poor functioning of the railway service, demanding "urgent revisions" to the line passing through Girona. Although he did not explicitly call for Paneque's resignation, he did demand changes from Territory and accused the socialists of having been accomplices in years of underinvestment in the network. Paneque's name and her management have strongly hovered over the extraordinary plenary sessions of the Girona city council in recent weeks, with cross-accusations between the tripartite municipal government and the PSC opposition. Salellas, the only mayor of a Catalan capital who is not a socialist, has thus positioned himself as the visible face of discontent in the municipal world over the continuous service cuts and the lack of coordination between Adif, Renfe, and the Generalitat. "Municipalism must raise its voice," he wrote in an article in Nació Digital.

Calls for resignation in the Diputació

In this pre-electoral context in Girona, since the outbreak of the Rodalies chaos, it is no coincidence that, of the four Catalan provincial councils, that of Girona is the only one that has requested her resignation. Seven municipalities with a pro-independence majority have also done so, such as Salt, Ripoll, Celrà, Viladamat, Llagostera, Sant Jordi Desvalls, and Ribes de Freser. All at the request of the CUP. These resignation requests are in addition to that of the Parliament, supported by all political forces except the PSC and Comuns.

Junts has also exerted significant local pressure, with events such as this week's at the train stations in Alt Empordà, with Girona's Salvador Vergés –parliamentary spokesperson– and Marta Madrenas –former mayor of Girona and congresswoman– demanding "get Renfe out of Catalonia", again with Paneque in the crosshairs.

Will she repeat?

But will Paneque be the PSC candidate in 2027? For now, the minister avoids commenting, and her circle assures that she is fully focused on the ministry, with housing and mobility as primary concerns. In any case, neither she nor the party is expected to make an immediate decision about her future as a potential mayoral candidate.

According to consulted sources, all of this will also depend on Salvador Illa's opinion, who has stood by Paneque against the calls for her resignation and has endorsed her management of the crisis. However, there are no shortage of voices pointing out her high electoral value in Girona, a territory where she remains deeply rooted despite her activity having shifted towards the Generalitat. "There is no better candidate than Paneque, but we have to see what happens," a socialist source tells this newspaper.

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

Beyond what Paneque does in 2027, at the socialist headquarters on Pallars street, they believe there is sufficient talent to choose a successor if necessary. Among those who stand out are the current congressman Marc Lamuà and theSpanish government's deputy delegate in Girona, Pere Parramon. Another name in the running is Beatriz Esporrín, head of the opposition in Girona, who has taken over the day-to-day management and oversight of Lluc Salellas's government after Paneque's departure, who was a councillor between 2011 and 2024.