Former CiU councilor Germà Gordó, leader of Convergents, maintains in ARA that "Junts' agreements with Convergents and various political platforms bring together practically the entire convergent space for the 2027 municipal elections". At the same time, he points out that despite "Junts being the pillar of this space", "the completeness of this world needs Convergents and other political platforms, as Demòcrates incorporated at the time". In turn, the mayor of Alpicat and organization secretary of Impulsem Lleida, Joan Gilart, asserts that there is "a vision of the country for the municipal elections" and that "the convergent space has a future, from the center, common sense"; but "now the sum of efforts is necessary to regain leadership of the country".
Fishing for the convergent
Numerous local officials receive offers to join the Junts and PSC lists
BarcelonaJunts has an ambitious operation underway for the upcoming municipal elections: to regroup the space of Convergència. However, a competitor has emerged because the PSC is also making moves to fish among the ex-convergents ranks. At this time, there are conversations and understandings are being finalized to contest a legacy, the convergent one, which has been revived since the recovery of Jordi Pujol's figure.
"The PSC is also knocking on the door. It doesn't stop," said the Junts general secretary, Jordi Turull, a few weeks ago at an informative breakfast, addressing the socialist Joaquín Fernández. "When he told me he was coming here, I told him I was happy because at least he wouldn't tell someone from our ranks if they were leaving [with the PSC]," added Turull. Not only Aliança Catalana is trying to scratch at the orbit of Junts, but the socialists are also very interested. Indeed, the signings began some time ago: the Government incorporated former convergent leader David Bonvehí as Director of Social Economy and brought back former Junts minister Miquel Sàmper to the executive.
The paradigmatic example of the party struggle is Enlairem Deltebre. The formation that governs the Ebre locality with an absolute majority with Mayor Lluís Soler ran in coalition with Junts in the last elections, but for the next ones it is receiving offers from Junts and the socialists, as ARA has learned. The party will decide at the last minute and the only wish is to maintain its independence in municipal spirit.
In Mollerussa, Mayor Marc Solsona (Ara Pacte Local - PDECat) will not run for re-election, but in his locality and its surroundings, the candidacy is receiving approaches from both Junts and the PSC to prevent them from running alone. Thus, he points out that the mayors and councilors linked to the defunct PDECat are talking "to everyone", although he highlights "the novelty" that Junts and socialists are going after them, when three years ago nobody wanted to know anything.
Battery of polls
The councilor and leader of Ara Pacte Local in the Salou City Council, Marc Montagut, who governs with PSC-Sumem and ERC in the council led by Pere Granados, also confirms that "both Junts and the PSC" have sounded him out for next year's municipal elections. His group has two councilors and considers itself "convergent," but Junts is outside the council and the decision has not been made. On the other hand, numerous sources maintain that an agreement is being worked on between the PSC and the mayor of Aitona, Rosa Pujol, who is also vice-president of the Provincial Council of Lleida – through the 2023 pact with the socialists and ERC. Pujol qualifies that "there is no agreement with anyone" at this time and refuses to comment on the state of the talks.
There are also approaches in Lleida. The capital of Segrià is particularly sensitive: Activem Lleida - Ara Pacte Local, led by Domènec Vila, was on the verge of entering the council, with 2,258 votes (4.77%) and particularly harmed Junts. The interest it arouses in "various parties" has led to questions about the future, but Vila comments that they have not decided whether to join any party. The PSC and Junts have shown interest, but for now they have not made any decisions and have not received any concrete "offer."
Multiple approaches between Ara Pacte Local and the PSC in various municipalities cannot be ignored either, such as in Sant Boi or Esparreguera and, even, in Sant Cugat. In the case of Sant Boi, the leader of PDECat, Jaume Icart, is "in conversations" with the PSC for "socio-convergence" to materialize. He obtained 500 key votes that would have allowed Junts to get a councilor, but the fracture between parties was deep and now he could be part of the list of mayor Lluïsa Moret. The leadership of Aliança Catalana also sounded out Icart's project, but they flatly rejected it.
The socialists are also accelerating in Cerdanya, where Junts has had setbacks and where the former mayor of Puigcerdà, Albert Piñeira, is the Government delegate in Perpignan. Jordi Palomino is a non-attached councilor, but he ran for Junts, and is one of those desired by a sector of former convergents who are approaching the PSC. On the other hand, in Girona, former councilor Carles Ribas – he obtained 1,600 votes, 4.6% of the key votes with the PDECat – is in talks with Junts, and Aliança has also wanted to poach him. The PSC also sounded out the mayor of Òrrius, Xavier Masgrau (Junts), but he rejected it and, again, Aliança also contacted him.
Convergent withdrawal
In Tarragona, Junts has also sounded out former CiU councilor Fede Adan to be the mayoral candidate, and the mayor, Rubén Viñuales, already signed up his sister Montse Adan three years ago, who is now deputy mayor. Furthermore, it was Salvador Illa's executive who signed up Mar Giné, former Tarragona candidate for the PDECat, as director of the territorial services of Business and Work in Tarragona for Miquel Sàmper –former Junts member–. Finally, Aliança also sounded out the non-attached councilor who ran for Junts, Elvira Vidal, who confesses that the PSC also approached her, although socialist sources deny it.
In this competition between Junts and the PSC –where Aliança sometimes appears–, the PP also occasionally emerges. The mayor of Badalona, the popular Xavier García Albiol, has appointed Àlex Romero –former leader of the PDECat list in the city in 2023– as coordinator of the political area against illegal occupation, and the leader of the PP in Barcelona, Daniel Sirera, signed up Tomàs Ragué for lists, who had been linked to Centrem, but was not elected.
The competition means that the convergence retreat that Junts sought for the municipal elections is not turning out as they would like, but the Junts members have already managed to close numerous agreements with this political space. For example, the mayor of Igualada, Marc Castells, will repeat the formula with which he ran in 2023, Junts per Igualada, with Carles Puigdemont's party, "with the freedom to make agreements with whomever they wish" after the elections. The move is added to Junts' agreements with Impulsem Penedès and Impulsem Lleida –reissued–, Convergents, Tots per Lloret, Futur per Puigcerdà, Treballem per Solsona, and other approaches to figures from the extinct PDECat with the Ara Pacte Local brand.
extinct PDECat with the Ara Pacte Local brand.
In any case, the members of Ara Pacte Local have great independence from each municipality and sources familiar with the matter estimate that "75% will run as independents" and more than "10% with the PSC and Junts", respectively.
