BARCELONA – The Catalan Socialist Party (PSC) has emerged victorious in the municipal elections in Catalonia. However, they failed to conquer the city of Barcelona, where they finished in second place behind Junts per Catalunya.
The socialists have offered themselves to lead a progressive mayoralty in the Catalan capital. Their success in the elections can be partly attributed to the efforts of the leadership of the Spanish Socialist Party (PSOE), headed by Pedro Sánchez, who campaigned in support of the local candidates.
“The first left-wing party”
In terms of votes, the PSC came out on top with 712,949 votes, well ahead of Junts per Catalunya with 552,089 votes. Meanwhile, ERC, the winner of the previous elections in 2019 with 822,107 votes, now stands in third place with 519,833 votes.
This demonstrates that the socialists still maintain a strong presence at the local level. While they may not have conquered Barcelona, the final word has yet to be spoken. Socialist leader Salvador Illa emphasised yesterday that “the PSC is the first left-wing party in Catalonia.”
Possible tri-party coalition
This statement is also a subtle reference to the nationalist ERC and the Catalan community. Moreover, it opens the door to a possible tri-party coalition, according to El Español. This would mirror the current agreements at the national level, where the socialist government also receives support from the pro-independence ERC.
Urban areas and provinces
With strong results in the metropolitan area of Barcelona and victories in cities such as Tarragona, Girona, and Lleida, the PSC secures control over the four provinces. This, therefore, strengthens their position and that of Illa as a potential regional presidential candidate, as their opponents are weaker.
Can Ada Colau become mayor again?
Both Illa and the socialist candidate for Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, have offered themselves to lead a progressive mayoralty. However, they assured that they would respect the winner, Xavier Trias. Furthermore, it became clear that this outcome does not necessarily affect the politics of cooperation among the left.
Ada Colau, the leader of the joint party Barcelona en Comú, has accepted the challenge: “Trias may have finished first, but with only eleven council members, while the progressive forces together have twenty-four council members,” she said.
