"We're not doing well": the CEO survey shakes Junts per Catalunya

Barcelona"It's a shame to see the political space that represents me crumble. It's time those responsible faced the consequences." This was the reaction of the mayor of Torrelles de Foix, Sergi Vallès (JxCat), on social media after learning This week the CEO which showed a tie for third place between Junts and the far-right Aliança Catalana. Reactions also occurred, according to sources, in several sectoral and territorial WhatsApp groups of party leaders. "We're not doing well," summarized one mayor, who, like Vallès, believes there must also be self-criticism from the leadership. However, the party leadership's plan is to hold their ground and rely on a potentially imminent event for a comeback: the return of former president Carles Puigdemont, which they see as possible during the first quarter of 2026.

to choose the municipal candidates in the coming months. In a speech to party members, he asserted that "there is a political and media tsunami" against Junts: "They want to belittle us, caricature us, write us off, and spread fear and anxiety among our people," he declared. In this regard, he made an internal appeal "not to be swayed [by the polls] and not to make any sudden changes of course." "We must maintain our position," the Secretary General declared in response to calls for a change of direction. "Our role is to be an alternative to Salvador Illa's government," he reaffirmed, also taking aim at Alianza: "Catalan nationalism cannot fall into an exclusionary project."

What is the feeling within the party? One of the deputies consulted by ARA speaks of a wave that is difficult to stop, alluding to the downward trend and the flight of votes to Sílvia Orriols' party, while a councilor contacted also believes the situation is bad, but doesn't see what can be done to turn it around: "Now we have to focus on the municipal elections." "There is a certain resignation," admits another source, while another local leader uses the word concern to describe the feeling within Junts. "There is a conviction that there must be changes soon because otherwise perhaps there will be nothing left," he summarizes.

In this sense, they positively value Puigdemont's decision dand modify roles in the Parliament group And to visualize, they say, Salvador Vergés, one of the deputies most connected to the local scene. With Albert Batet as deputy to the party president—tasked with preparing the former president's return and the party's electoral machinery—and Mònica Sales leading the parliamentary group, Vergés has become the spokesperson and public face of Junts. "He has a full schedule," they say, regarding the requests he receives from the region. "We need a leader who is physically present," they assert.

In any case, despite the "resignation" within Junts, those calling for self-criticism are not considering challenging former president Carles Puigdemont. "It's very difficult to understand Junts without him," they state, although they don't hide the fact that his exile due to repression reduces their competitiveness in Catalonia. The situation of the party's general secretary, Jordi Turull, responsible for organizational matters at the local level, is another matter entirely. "He's weaker," notes one mayor. "The emperor has no clothes, but everyone's whispering about it," opines another regional official, while a local leader consulted also accuses him of being "authoritarian" in managing internal debates. But does that mean there's too much criticism to try and oust him? The sources consulted assure us that no major upheaval is expected before the municipal elections.

A message to calm tempers

To combat the pessimism generated by the downward trend in the polls, the party has sent out several internal messages this week discrediting the data from the Generalitat's Center for Opinion Studies Barometer. "It's biased," the leadership states in a document obtained by ARA. They also distributed another, more analytical document among party officials and members, criticizing the time allotted to the survey, claiming an "overrepresentation" of PSC and Esquerra voters, and an "underrepresentation" of Junts voters. The document accuses the CEO and Salvador Illa's government of trying to "create a narrative" against Junts, and of wanting to strengthen—they claim—Alliance to undermine the pro-independence majority. However, sources familiar with the Barometer maintain that the seat projections were made "conservatively," meaning not specifically to the detriment of Junts. Turull openly criticized the Barometer this Saturday: "There are biases that are shameful." He also recalled that in the past, polls have underestimated Junts only for them to later recover, citing the December 2017 elections as an example. The strategy of the leadership

However, the leadership is pinning its hopes for a comeback on a single event: the return of former president Carles Puigdemont. According to several sources consulted, Junts believes his return could occur during the first quarter of 2026. The key to this optimism has been the opinion of the Advocate General of the Court of Justice of the European Union, who recently gave a majority endorsement of the amnesty. "It's a major step towards visualizing Puigdemont's return," Turull said this Saturday at the National Council, stating that it will mark a turning point in the political landscape. They expect the Court of Justice of the European Union to adopt this Advocate General's opinion in early 2026. It will be then, Junts sources believe, that the Constitutional Court will be able to take a decisive step to endorse Puigdemont's amnesty, leaving, they consider, little room for the Supreme Court to act otherwise. If this happens, their idea is for Puigdemont to return and set foot on the territory to be a candidate in the next elections, since they believe that he hasn't been able to compete on equal terms with the other candidates since 2017. "For him, the electoral cycle isn't over," a knowledgeable source points out. However, others are skeptical about the former president's reaction when he sets foot in the Principality and don't rule out a withdrawal.