One out of ten Catalan town halls has changed mayor ahead of time

BarcelonaLess than a year before the municipal elections, the picture of the Catalan local political map is no longer the one that was set after the constitution of the town halls in June 2023. According to data from the Generalitat compiled by Europa Press, 95 out of 947 Catalan municipalities – one in ten (10.03%) – have changed mayors during the current term. Neither Barcelona nor any of the other three provincial capitals have been affected, but yes, for example, the second most populous city in the country: l'Hospitalet de Llobregat changed mayors after the departure of Núria Marín – she was replaced by David Quirós. However, the changes mainly affect medium and small municipal maps, and give an idea of how parties are approaching the final stretch of the term before the 2027 elections.

The causes for the 95 changes are divided into three main categories: 16 mayors have lost their leadership due to a motion of no confidence; 25 changes are due to agreements between parties to share the mayorship, and more than thirty mayors have left office for personal, professional, family, or health reasons. Among them are some recruits for Salvador Illa's government, such as Pilar Díaz – she was the mayoress of Esplugues de Llobregat and is now the delegate of the Government in Barcelona –, Carles Ruiz – former mayor of Viladecans and now president of Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat – and Eva Menor – councilor for Equality and Feminism and former mayoress of Badia del Vallès.

The wear and tear of a term marked by emergencies

Among resignations due to personal exhaustion is that of Joan Roig i Castell, mayor of ERC in Alcanar from October 4, 2018, to December 19, 2025, when after an extraordinary plenary session he resigned from the mayoralty and his councilor's seat. Roig explains, in statements to ARA, that the torrential downpours in the final part of his term took their toll "physically and mentally," but the arrival of his first child was also added: "If you cannot dedicate yourself to the citizens, it is better to leave it," he summarizes.

Roig claims his departure as an exercise in coherence: he believes that politicians should not aspire "to live off institutions all their lives," and says he has always wanted to distance himself from the "revolving door logic." He now dedicates himself to teaching in Martorell, a new stage that he values "very positively." However, he acknowledges that it is impossible to completely detach from politics in the era "of social networks" and, in this regard, he remains open to helping the current municipal government, "always in a punctual and unidirectional manner, prioritizing mental health and time with family."

Motions as a driving force for change

No-confidence motions have left unique episodes across the country. From the case of Puigverd de Lleida –Josep Solsona left the mayorship in 2024 after being arrested for an alleged case of gender violence, for which he was later acquitted, and died months later–to small towns like Setcases or Espinelves, where alliances of councilors have overturned governments resulting from a single list.

To this list, a very intricate case must be added, such as that of Ribera d'Ondara (la Segarra), a municipality of approximately 450 inhabitants with the full council divided into three almost equal blocs: three ERC councilors, three from the PSC, and one from Aliança Catalana. After the 2023 elections, Francesc Sabanés (PSC) assumed the mayorship thanks to the abstention of the Aliança Catalana councilor, Albert Puig, who chose to respect the most voted list.

Sabanés governed in the minority until ERC offered Puig to join the government and occupy the mayorship for four months –during the maternity leave of the new mayoress, Elisabet Jové. He accepted and they ousted Sabanés in the first no-confidence motion of the term in the municipality. The agreement immediately fractured –ERC ended up expelling its councilors– and after four months Puig resigned, arguing that he was suffering from "media harassment", which opened the door for Sabanés to regain the mayorship with a new no-confidence motion, this time with the support of the number two on the Aliança Catalana list, who demanded to join as a non-attached councilor. In statements to ARA, Sabanés –who continues to govern– explained that in such small municipalities "this division greatly conditions decision-making", and called for "solid pacts from the outset to avoid strange combinations that end up harming the municipality".

Pacts that divide the mayorship

According to the data collected, agreements for the alternation of mayorships between different formations are one of the most common factors in leadership changes: up to 25 municipalities are experiencing a pre-arranged change this term. This is the case in Roses, where Sílvia Ripoll (Junts) took over last month from Josep Maria Martínez (PSC), according to the 3+1 scheme agreed in 2023 between the PSC, Junts per Roses, and Gent del Poble, which left ERC out of the government – the most voted candidacy on May 28.

Ripoll has argued in statements to ARA that "the agreement does not distance itself from the election results." She acknowledges, however, that the final stretch becomes complicated as the election date approaches: "It will not be a year of major projects, but I wanted to establish my own profile." Looking ahead to 2027, she remains cautious, "aware that the emergence of Aliança Catalana will further fragment the municipal map": "The more division there is, the worse it is: the citizens are the ones who are harmed." A similar formula is repeated, for example, in Torredembarra, where the term is shared between ERC and the PSC with three different mayors.

The trickle of changes does not stop as the term approaches its final stretch. On July 14, Vilanova del Vallès (Vallès Oriental) experienced the most turbulent episode of all: a motion of no confidence initiated by two councilors from the same governing team.