Junts launches municipal campaign against "national deconstruction"

Although there are more than two years until May 30, 2027, Junts per Catalunya has had that date marked in red for some time. That's when the municipal elections will take place, which will become the first elections of the next cycle, provided no other elections are brought forward.

There are two key elements that will certify the launch of the municipal race for post-Convergents: a convention on May 10 in Vila-seca and the deployment at that same meeting of an advisory council of former mayors, headed by Xavier Trias.

This is in line with the fact that, in recent weeks, there have been several party events that appear to be pre-campaign events. The JxCat tour, which began on April 3 in Girona to present its model and proposals—which will travel to the 43 Catalan regions and continue in Vic on May 7 and in Lleida on the 19th—was joined on Thursday by an event in the Girona city to recognize former mayors of its political party (then CiU), with Jordi Turull calling on them to help them fight the "national deconstruction" of the PSC government.

Regarding the municipalist convention that the city of Tarragonès will host, it is the fourth since the founding of Junts with party leaders, mayors, and councilors from across the region. The last one was in January 2023 in Girona. Sources within the party indicate that an assessment will be made of the first half of the mandate and the roadmap for 2027 will begin to be drawn up.

Along these lines, the advisory council of former mayors will be promoted. This is a municipalist body within the organization, which aims to empower figures like the former mayor of Barcelona to act as mentors, providing training and advice to elected officials and candidates. Its creation was already foreseen in the organizational report approved at the Calella congress last October.

The party will hold several recognition events for historic mayors of the Convergent space.

At the event held Thursday in Girona, Turull made this point when he asked the former mayors to get involved: "The country needs you; we need you to help us defend the nation."

On the other hand, the advisory council led by Trias seeks—according to JxCat sources—for these former officials to have their own place within the party, beyond "taking advantage of their knowledge" in management and serving as an "area for analysis and debate."

To "contribute and grow," the party plans to replicate the recognition events for historic mayors of its party in other parts of Catalonia. In his virtual address in Girona on Thursday, Junts leader Carles Puigdemont defended and urged the continuation of this tradition, which he framed within the "values ​​of the Mancomunitat's municipalism" and the "most advanced, inclusive, and progressive Catalanism."

At this point, they don't have any officially designated top candidates for 2027. The vast majority will decide in the first half of next year and want to surpass the 732 lists they presented in the last elections under the name Compromís Municipal—a name that will be repeated in 2027.

A different matter is the Barcelona portfolio, a position of growing importance for the party—they won in 2023, but the mayoralty went to Jaume Collboni. The hope was to settle the issue before Easter, but there is no consensus candidate. Some sources are now targeting the summer as the deadline, while others are more cautious and see it as a difficult one, but agree on the importance of settling it as soon as possible. Jordi Martí, Josep Rius, Quim Forn, and Victòria Alsina are among the candidates.

Almost all candidates will be appointed in 2026, except in cases such as Barcelona.

Although JxCat is the party with the most mayoralties in the current term, its main stronghold is Sant Cugat del Vallès, the twelfth most populated city in Catalonia. They have no hold on any provincial capital. One objective they have set is to gain power and recover strongholds like Girona at a time when they are keeping an eye on the possible advance of Aliança in inland Catalonia.