Meeting between Jaume Collboni and Xavier Trias in the Barcelona mayor's office in the summer.
Six months have passed since the local elections and the mayor of Barcelona continues to rule in a clear minority: 10 out of 41 city councilors. Jaume Collboni was endowed at the last second in June with the votes of the lower house members of his former partner and former mayor Ada Colau and that of the PP. Both wanted to prevent Xavier Trias from becoming mayor: the Commons, so that the right would not dismantle its government; and the PP to avoid an independence mayor. Aware of the difficulty of governing the Catalan capital with so little power, Collboni assures that he is committed to a “progressive” government with a lower house and ERC. But discussions with Junts are much more advanced. It's a more practical option: it's easier to rule with one partner than with two. Surprisingly, Colau announced this Saturday that he was staying at the town hall and would meet with Collboni on Thursday. In doing so, he is putting pressure on a left-wing pact, although socialist sources assure that the mayor does not want such a heavyweight in his cabinet. The fact that it remains “cancels the pact”.
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The same socialist sources claim that it is in their best interest to forge alliances with both Junts and ERC, with whom they already have an agreement in the Catalan parliament. The two pro-independence parties are necessary for President Pedro Sánchez, who must show his game to advance his term in office. The variety show with Carles Puigdemont's team in Congress this week may raise some concerns among the socialists in the city council, but it is not serious. “No comments,” say the socialists. “It’s stressful but reducible,” they claim in Junts. Its vice president and spokesman, Josep Rius, is one of Barcelona's city councilors, although he is more focused on the party.
Meanwhile, negotiations with Junts had progressed in the city council until this week. Mayor Collboni often sees or speaks with Xavier Trias. Negotiate with the neoconvergents with two teams (one for the government and one for the budget). And the spokesman for the municipal group explained that there had already been talk of charges. On the other hand, citizens complained until this Saturday that Collboni had not spoken to Colau via WhatsApp since November. Furthermore, they have no formal negotiators and reiterate that they will not join the government unless it cooperates with the ERC, which represents a comfortable majority of 24 council members. “Twenty-four or nothing,” is the mantra. This Saturday, the former mayor clarified the mystery surrounding her future. He stays in Barcelona. “I stay where it is most useful, whether we are in opposition or entering city government. “I will work for this city in whatever position,” he said, without clarifying whether the “I stay” encompasses the entire mandate.
So far there has been more harmony between the PSC and Trias in the relevant votes in the Council. Junts saved the terrace regulation with a formula that prevented them from being left without the pandemic tariff bonuses that would have led to a huge increase. And they agree on opening more hotels or renting rooms to tourists in exceptional cases, which distances them from the commons and their political legacy. Both the Socialists and the Junts are also committed to not expanding the Superilla model of pedestrian zones (Colaus Starplan) or to making the rule that forces developers to allocate 30% of the apartments they build to social housing more flexible. Understand that the city's business people are applauding after eight years of putting their hands on their heads with Colau's policies that shut down hoteliers, restaurateurs and merchants. Another coincidence concerns the merging of the tram networks along the diagonal, now that the first phase has been launched and the second is missing: Trias has always been against this public transport and says that there is no possibility; and Collboni maintains his yes to the union, but not now, when the city already supports several large plants.
However, Trias did not hesitate with gestures and, in the last plenary session of the year, joined forces with Colau to accuse Collboni of the “paralysis” of his management. At the same time, both demanded his entry into the government. The vote caused great discomfort for the socialists. A lot. So much so that the mayor's number two, Laia Bonet, accused citizens of “boycotting” the possibility of a left-wing coalition. Not to mention that after almost two terms of government together, there are more than just differences between some socialist and joint councilors.
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The fact that Trias and Colau are former mayors also weighs on the board: it would be unprecedented to integrate them into the government of a third mayor. This is even more true for Trias, who won the elections with one more council member than Collboni. Trias, who put together his candidacy and program to protect himself from the Junts' turmoil, says he wants to leave his group in an “organized way,” but he swears and swears he won't stay. Until this Saturday, Colau's case was a mystery. The Socialists emphasize that the fact that it remains in the Council makes any possible agreement difficult.
Meanwhile, ERC appoints municipal group president Elisenda Alamany following the departure of veteran Ernest Maragall. The new leader criticizes herself for the way she resisted in the last term (when all major projects were supported by the Colau-Collboni tandem), affirms that she will “probably” remain a “clear opposition” and assured that ERC wants to create a Left profile and be the protagonist.
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