Collboni loses his second vote of confidence of the term

BarcelonaFrom defeat to defeat until final victory. Or, in this case, until the budget is approved. After seeing the opposition reject his budget in Friday's plenary session, Barcelona Mayor Jaume Collboni lost the vote of confidence he sought to save it on Wednesday. A bittersweet defeat, since the inability of the other groups to form an alternative with an absolute majority will allow the PSC-led government to automatically approve the 2026 budget before the end of the year. This is the second time Collboni has had to resort to a vote of confidence to pass the City Council's budget. This tool, available only to city councils, allows the mayor to pass the budget by linking it to a vote of confidence. If he loses, the opposition has 30 calendar days to try to formulate a motion of no confidence with an alternative candidate who does have the support of an absolute majority in the plenary session. If they fail to do so, the budget is automatically approved. In Barcelona, ​​the arithmetic makes it impossible for any other party to obtain the necessary 21 councilors, so the budget will be automatically approved before the end of the year. This has made Wednesday's plenary session a carbon copy of many others seen during the term, with the opposition highlighting Collboni's "isolation" while the executive takes advantage of the considerable leeway the City Council grants the government, even when in the minority. Given this scenario, the opposition has focused on emphasizing the difficulties the PSC government faces in passing its most important votes. Collboni has yet to approve any budget through the ordinary process—two votes of confidence and one extension—nor has he been able to get the Municipal Action Plan—the roadmap for the term—despite a lack of support, and has had to shelve one of his flagship proposals: the modification of the 30% social housing quota.

Nor has he been able to bring another party into his government, even though Collboni closed the previous vote of confidence—the one used to approve the 2024 budget—by announcing that he was accelerating talks to do so. Internal debate within Esquerra derailed that attempt, despite their role as key partners. This Wednesday, they were also the only ones to vote alongside the PSC. Their spokesperson, Jordi Castellana, asserted that it is "worthwhile" to leverage their influence "to improve a budget proposal that is useful for addressing the challenges" of the city.

Barcelona en Comú opted to abstain. Despite leaving the door open to reaching "bold" agreements with Collboni, the group's spokesperson, Gemma Tarafa, was highly critical of the mayor. "As much as we have grown accustomed to his defeats, this is not normal," she said. The leader of Junts, Jordi Martí, was even harsher. "You're asking for a trust you've never had from the public. You've lost every election you've run in," he retorted. From the PP, Daniel Sirera criticized the PSC for only seeking agreements with the left.

An outstretched hand for agreements

Despite suffering another setback in the plenary session, both Collboni and the fourth deputy mayor for Economy, Jordi Valls, defended the executive's ability to reach agreements. At the end of the debate, the mayor declared the budget's approval on January 1st a foregone conclusion. "We have full confidence in what we are proposing," he said. While advocating for negotiations on the budget with left-wing groups, he denied that he was closed to agreements with right-wing parties. "I reiterate our willingness," he said. The debate on the coexistence ordinance is on the horizon.

Valls also maintained that the government has reached agreements with most groups throughout its term and emphasized that it remains open to dialogue. Furthermore, he responded to criticisms about the executive's isolation by arguing that "no other project is capable of achieving the 15-member majority" currently held by the PSC and Esquerra votes. "We will continue seeking agreements. It is our responsibility, but also the opposition's," he concluded.