Josep Rius rules himself out and leaves the way clear for Jordi Martí to be Junts' candidate for Barcelona

BarcelonaJosep Rius renounces the race for the mayoralty of Barcelona in 2027. The Junts spokesperson communicated, this Monday in an open letter to the Junts militants, that despite having considered "very seriously" leading the project, Jordi Martí's candidacy has changed the landscape. Rius prefers to step aside before fueling a confrontation that, according to him, would not strengthen the party:

With this decision, Rius leaves the way clear for Jordi Martí, who this Friday to choose the list leader in the Catalan capital. Martí was aware that it was a move that would cause tension in the party, which was determined to avoid primaries to save itself the cracks and public wear and tear of an internal struggle. Nevertheless, despite Rius's resignation, Martí's nomination is not assured, although it is true that the veteran of the council has a good reception among the bases.In fact, this resignation comes in a context in which the party was already dragging a certain weakness in finding a head of the list. The Junts leadership had previously been met with the refusal of independent profiles such as the businessman Tatxo Benet, as well as former president Artur Mas and former minister Joaquim Forn. Faced with this series of rejections, the preferred option by the leadership was precisely Josep Rius, who has been Carles Puigdemont's right-hand man since his time as president of the Generalitat.

Two "colleagues"

In his letter, Rius reveals that for months he had been nurturing the idea of leading the party's renewal in Barcelona, "after listening to members of the leadership, militants, party sympathizers, and also people on the street," he highlighted. Backed by his track record in Xavier Trias's municipal government, the spokesperson set four essential conditions for a winning proposal: "generosity, consensus, self-criticism, and renewal." However, he remarks that Martí's move, whom he referred to as a "colleague (...) with whom I have worked so closely all this time," alters these "essential" requirements. "Internal confrontation weakens us both in Barcelona and the national project of Junts," he warns.

The letter also launches a frontal attack on the model of the current mayor, the socialist Jaume Collboni, asserting that the PSC's project "expels Barcelonians" from the city due to mass tourism, the rising cost of living, insecurity, and the loss of Catalan's presence. Rius concludes by reaffirming his loyalty to the figures of Xavier Trias and President Carles Puigdemont: "In no case, I believe that the Barcelona project should be considered by being alongside or on the sidelines of either Mayor Trias or President Puigdemont."