This is how Aliança acts in the plenary sessions in which it does not have councilors

BarcelonaAliança Catalana formally only has a presence in the town councils of Ripoll and Manlleu, after losing Ribera d'Ondara, although in some municipalities it has attracted defecting councilors. Many of them do not hide it and arrive at the plenary sessions with the organization's folders. Local representatives of the party also carry them in towns where they do not have representation and where they plan to fight in next year's municipal elections. "It is about campaigning before the elections," admits a party member. This pre-campaign is not done haphazardly. The plenary sessions are prepared even though Aliança does not have a voice there.

The local party representative is the person who usually attends council meetings, although sometimes more than one militant attends. He is responsible for sending the agenda and the minutes of the previous meeting to the regional management. In some regions, there is a specific figure to fulfill this function called the council meeting representative. This is the case in Vallès Occidental, where Manuel Bustos' right-hand man, former socialist councilor Lluís Monge, is the one who centralizes all this information, as reported by ARA. This person analyzes the agenda and communicates which motions require attention because they can provide content for denouncements on the networks of Aliança, the party's great loudspeaker to reach its sympathizers.

For example, the Orriols party, like other parties, attacked former councilor Jordi Puigneró for speaking in Spanish at a Sant Cugat del Vallès council meeting following the fall of Nicolás Maduro. They also recently criticized that in Terrassa a Muslim ombudsman has been chosen. They always do this through the regional account, and the communications manager is responsible for writing the message after receiving approval from the management. Subsequently, members of the executive or militants amplify this message with new tweets, such as the one made by the president of Vallès Occidental, Francesc Castany, who even said that the ombudsman had a daughter indicted for jihadism, even though it has not been proven that the person arrested has any familial relationship.

They also echo the protests of residents or municipal workers to try to channel the population's discontent in their favor. "In the end, the aim is to anger public opinion by pointing out how badly all parties are doing," points out another source from the party. In other areas, such as Baix Llobregat Nord, the figure of the person responsible for council meetings does not exist, and it is the local representative who acts as a direct link with the regional figure in a less hierarchical structure with more autonomy.

Do not intervene in council meetings or speak with other councilors

And should local officials intervene in council meetings as members of the public? In most regions, it is totally prohibited, although there are a few isolated exceptions. In Torelló, for example, Francesc Terés, on behalf of Aliança, intervened in Town Hall meetings to demand the resignation of the security councilor or to criticize the management of illegal occupations. This intervention, which went viral, led other towns to request permission to intervene, but they were denied, according to members from some populations.

It is also forbidden to speak with councilors from other parties in the plenary session. "They don't want people to believe that we are the same as others, nor that there is good rapport with anyone, literally the only thing that can be said is hello and goodbye," reveal local officials. "The slogan is that they show the Alliance folders so that everyone sees that there is Alliance attendance in all municipalities," add these same coordinators. Municipal groups consulted confirm that they neither intervene nor speak with them. "They position themselves with the public and never say anything or speak with us," agree councilors of all political colors.

The management also emphasizes the conduct of those attending council meetings, where they are urged to maintain a "positive" attitude. In this regard, they are asked to show attention and interest throughout the entire session, to take notes of what is said, and to record anything they consider significant for later reporting. "Local officials must be attentive, they cannot be on their mobile phones, and they must take notes because any statement by a councilor or mayor can be used later for publication on social media," these coordinators emphasize. In short, their attendance is understood as a learning exercise before they enter council meetings as elected officials.