The battle to lead the ERC party in Barcelona is back: Cruz Camacho will lead the fight within the Junquerismo.

BarcelonaWith the ERC national congress now over, the battle now moves to the regions, and Barcelona will be the place where critics will once again challenge Oriol Junqueras. While on Thursday the ruling party candidate, Eva Baró, confirmed that she would run for reelection at the congress convened for April 26, this Friday the critics did so, deciding to form a candidacy called Dignitat Republicana (Republican Dignity), which they registered this afternoon. The candidate will be Creu Camacho, until now the president of ERC in the Eixample district, and will be working in tandem with Miquel Colomé, a member of Gràcia, where he was a district councilor. ERC councilor in Barcelona, ​​Rosa Suriñach, will be the candidate to preside over the Barcelona assembly, which is equivalent to the party's national council in the Barcelona federation.

In this candidacy there have come together militants who are going to donate their support to Nova Esquerra Nacional – with the mateixa Suriñach who is also part of the executive proposal, Agnès Russiñol – and also to Foc Nou – Alfred Bosch is one of the people who have been in the darrere –, but they insist that the project goes Furthermore, the lists that are going to be presented in the national class and that the project is in the Barcelona class. "It is an open project to work on positive construction and in a Barcelona key. To find a renewed federation in which militancy feels comfortable," Cruz Camacho defended in statements to the media. The objective, according to the candidacy, is to "give voice to the militancy" and recover "the assemblyism" of the party.

In fact, one of the issues that have spurred the candidacy to present itself is The failed congress last June, which was to decide on the entry of ERC into Jaume Collboni's government. The project was presented to the Orfeó Martinenc, where the congress was supposed to be held, but was canceled because the venue was too small due to the large number of members. They are critical of the fact that the current management of the Barcelona federation, chaired by Eva Baró, postponed the congress. sine die and not set a new date. The candidacy is willing to open the debate on entering the municipal government and submit it to the membership for discussion. "If the opportunity to enter the government presents itself again, we will talk and work with the municipal group and we will reach a consensus. If they say yes, we will open the opportunity for the membership to vote," Camacho stated. Dignidad Republicana, however, warns that they do not want ERC to be a "crutch" for the PSC.

Camacho, Colomé, and Suriñach are currently the visible faces of the candidacy, but they hope to garner support between now and April 26. In fact, starting next Tuesday, they will have to begin collecting endorsements (a minimum of 5%) to validate their candidacy—they have until April 22. Cruz Camacho will face Eva Baró, the candidate aligned with Oriol Junqueras's leadership, who will be partnered with Lourdes Arrando. "After a period of internal confrontation within the ERC (Republican Left), Barcelona is committed to looking ahead and, through dialogue, building the city's consensus that will allow for a winning republican project in the Catalan capital," he wrote in a statement on Thursday.

Just over a year ago, the Barcelona federation was already the battlefield where the issue was raised the first challenge to Oriol JunquerasAt that time, Eva Baró, the ruling party candidate, and Patrícia Gomà, who was then representing critics of the Republican leader, clashed. The result was a narrow victory for the firstNow both are alongside Junqueras, and it's precisely that fusion that the ruling party's candidacy wants to play with.

The Girona Congress

Esquerra closed its national congress on March 15 and 16 in Martorell—after a tense primary in which Junqueras was reelected with 52% of the vote—and now is the time to renew its regional structures. Aside from Barcelona, where the largest number of members are located, a date has also been set in Girona for a congress that is expected to be more peaceful: April 11. In this case, according to several sources consulted by this newspaper, only one candidate has been presented, agreed upon with the leadership led by Pau Presas, mayor of Cassà de la Selva, and Laia Cañigueral, a member of Parliament. Both supported the New National Left, but this list also includes Junquerasist representatives, such as Etna Estremos, a member of Parliament.