Xavier Trias, enthroned leader of the former mayors of Junts: "If we ask for the impossible, we will not achieve it"

BarcelonaWhile Xavier Trias's famous "Que os bombin a todos" still echoes at the moment when Jaume Collboni prevented him from being re-elected as mayor of BarcelonaThanks to the support of Comuns and the PP, Junts has chosen to reward the only mayor from its ranks to have won the Catalan capital. At an event this Saturday, Trias set tasks for the party of former president Carles Puigdemont, with the mission of "generating enthusiasm" and some points that resonate within the current national context, such as the need to work towards making Catalonia "less dependent every day." From the rooftop of the Hotel Pulitzer, Trias, who was installed as president of the newly created advisory council of former mayors, made the following request: "If we ask for the impossible, we won't achieve it."

It is no coincidence that Trias and other former mayors have pointed out the current complex situation, including a warning from a former mayor against "populisms that make everything easy," which the general secretary, Jordi Turull, reinforced when, "above short-sighted interests," he conspired in an implicit allusion to the far-right Aliança Catalana. Puigdemont also drove the point home when he championed the municipal "spirit" of "serving the interests of all, regardless of whether they are recent arrivals or lifelong residents."

Warnings and demands

"We are living through a difficult, very complicated political situation," Trias emphasized, adding that they are going through a time "as a party" in which they must "make things go well" for the country, despite the current adversities, with the experienced former mayors advising the party. "We are all disappointed with politics, at least I am, but we all want to follow people who inspire hope," he asserted before nearly a hundred former municipal representatives, including former mayors and councilors, such as Ana Erra from Vic and Joan Ramon Casals from Molina, the current head of municipal policy. With the intention of defending "Catalonia as a nation" with his pragmatic approach, Trias called for "a specific atmosphere" and "hope for change." "Look how many years we've been in power, but now we are the ones who bring about change," he declared. "Today is not a nostalgic event. We have many memories, but we are not a memory. In these times, given the state of the country, which has lost its enthusiasm and hope, we are a compass," Turull argued, championing the Junts per Catalunya "alternative." Valuing the municipal "legacy" and with the unwavering goal of regaining all four provincial council seats in 2027 and the Barcelona mayoralty, Junts per Catalunya also took the opportunity to defend the party's recent moves, marked by its break with Pedro Sánchez's Spanish government. "Politics is about serving, taking risks, risks that should always be able to be counted on with the passage of time," Puigdemont concluded.