One of the bastions of Aliança Catalana is in danger

BarcelonaIn the last municipal elections, Aliança Catalana, making its debut, gained representation in three towns: Ripoll, Manlleu, and Ribera de Ondara. In the capital of Ripollès, the candidacy headed by Silvia Orriols increased its representation from 1 to 6 councilors and won the mayoralty thanks to the opposition of the other political forces. In Ribera de Ondara, the far-right pro-independence party... from having a provisional mayor to being left without representatives after the leadership distanced itself from the then mayor, Albert Puig, over some statementsin which he labeled the LGBTI community a "cancer".The former mayor's ties to members of the candidacy led to the number two candidate becoming an independent councilor, and the Aliança Catalana project in Ribera de Ondara ultimately failed. In Manlleu, however, the party remains represented in council meetings, despite the resignation of its lead candidate, Roger Saborit, who ceded his position to a well-known Espanyol supporter From the municipality, Jordi Rierola. The fact is that in the second largest city in Osona, there might not be a Catalan Alliance list in the upcoming elections. According to information obtained by ARA, last Friday, the regional leadership convened a coordination meeting, during which the party president in Osona, Marina Quintana, implied that there would be no candidacy.

Quintana stated this after Ribeiro criticized her for not holding informational stops in Manlleu, as is done in dozens of municipalities every weekend. Quintana responded that the stops had not been successful and were not efficient in generating any results, according to sources present at the meeting.

This sparked a heated argument between the two, which dominated a good part of the meeting. Ribeiro, who doesn't want to be the mayoral candidate, argued that they should persist, but Quintana countered that there were no interested parties, implying that they would let Manlleu fall apart if a group didn't emerge willing to put forward a candidacy. This threat infuriated Rierola, who reminded everyone that Manlleu is a stronghold and that Aliança Catalana already has representation there. In this context, Quintana announced plans to hold an event in Manlleu in March, with the participation of the party president, Silvia Orriols, which would presumably encourage people in the municipality to form a viable list and overcome the reservations stemming from widespread reluctance. Party sources in Manlleu are aware that if they don't get their act together, there won't be a candidacy. "It's like having a parked car with a dead battery. If we don't take action, the party won't do anything."

The presence of the far right in the capital of the Ter region has a long history. Plataforma per Catalunya (PxC) arrived in Vic in 2003, and also in neighboring Manlleu, winning a council seat thanks to the nearly 500 votes (5.6%) it garnered, fueled by discontent with the first waves of immigration from Morocco. Four years later, Josep Anglada's party doubled its number of votes and councilors, securing 13.35% of the electorate, and in 2011 it climbed to 3 councilors and 1,112 votes (15%). An internal leadership crisis and the rise of the Catalan independence movement (Proceso) resulted in the far right receiving only 149 votes (2.16%) in 2015.

The five municipalities in Osona where Aliança Catalana will be running

Meanwhile, Aliança Catalana will continue prioritizing campaign stops in the five municipalities of the region where it is certain to field candidates. One of these five is Roda de Ter, where Quintana already serves as a councilor after leading the list for an independent party that emerged from a split within Junts. May will end from last year. Quintana will be the mayoral candidate for the town where the poet Miquel Martí i Pol was born.

Vic is another town where Aliança Catalana will also present a candidate, and everything points, according to sources consulted, to the party's number two, Oriol Gès, secretary of organization and finance and general coordinator of the group in Parliament, potentially heading the list. The remaining mayoral candidates for Osona will come from the regional leadership: in Centelles, it will be the secretary of organization, Carles Fresquet, while in Torelló, everything indicates that the treasurer, Francesc Teres, will lead the list. The last municipality where Aliança Catalana is determined to contest the election is Tona, where it is still unclear who the candidate will be.