BarcelonaThe fact that former President Carles Puigdemont did not present at last Thursday's conference in Elna the acronym Junts per Catalunya was not a coincidence, but rather a specific design already thought out for how to confront the 12-M campaign: with a platform of its own. Special that goes beyond his party. That's why the company color was different – dark blue, not turquoise – and the box was dedicated to him – President Carles Puigdemont – and not to the party's initials. That is why, according to several sources consulted by ARA, the Junts will ally themselves in a coalition with other political parties with a much smaller implementation – the Democrats, the Regroupment Party, and the Catalunya Youth Movement – to take shelter under a common umbrella around which it revolves. Personality of the former president. In the next few hours – or days – the platform name will be closed. Official Junts sources declined to comment on this issue.
Why did the former president want to choose this formula? To try to break the electoral boundaries of Gents and present his candidacy as a transversal candidacy. He told Elna: “I am clear that the candidacy I will lead must go beyond my party, Gantz, and will have to include support from other sectors.” In this way, on Tuesday in Perpignan, a political agreement with other formations to promote their program will be presented, although it is not yet planned to announce their name. Apart from the organizations that will form a coalition with the Junts – Democrats, Reagrupament and MEScat – there will also be smaller parties such as Action for the Republic, Estat Català, Alternativa Verda and Joventut Republica. But the latter will only be in the political agreement that supports Puigdemont and will not appear officially in the coalition, according to the sources consulted.
Example municipality and trias
The final name of the electoral coalition, according to sources familiar with the nomination, cannot be exactly identical to any of the abbreviations that are part of the coalition. Therefore, we cannot be together for Catalonia. From here, there are different formulas on the table, where the party's initials could have more or less importance depending on what is ultimately decided. Taking into account the calendar set by the Election Law (Lorig), Saturday, March 30 is the maximum deadline for presenting coalitions and thus naming the alliances between the formations.
The example where the Junts would have more weight is the iteration of the municipal formula, where the party – as Esquerra or the PSC did – has incorporated the “municipal commitment” umbrella as an addition to the Junts nomination for those independent local figures. It can be felt reflected in it. This is not new in Catalan elections either: the first was Pascual Maragall with Ciutadans pel Canvi in 2003.
However, Puigdemont also needs to go further and have the show revolve squarely around his character and his presidency. The most recent example in this sense is Barcelona, where there was a nomination that also wanted to go beyond the Junts abbreviation through the top of the list, Xavier Trias. The name was Trias per Barcelona, and that's how it was reflected on the ballot papers when you went to vote: there were no Junts, instead, there was the face of the mayoral candidate. Some sources suggest that Puigdemont may opt for a similar wording, in which case the abbreviation Junt would carry less weight.
Trias has already introduced a platform bearing its name
This way of doing things is not new for the former president: he is not an organic leader and is always looking for a way not to be pigeonholed in his party. He went to extremes when he ran for parliamentary elections in 2017, when he was still a member of the PDECat party. This list was the seed of the “Gents”, and half of the candidates were independent figures. Now, in March 2024, this scenario will not be repeated: Puigdemont neither wants to replace Gontz nor to move the party leaders down the list as he did with the Democratic Party, but he wants to go beyond the formation: On the one hand, he builds his own platform, and on the On the other hand, with existing members. In fact, it was not on a whim that he opened Web page With his name for 12-M.
Although the superstars of Girona – Salva Vergés – and Tarragona – Monica Sales – and Lleida – Jeanine Abella – are part of the Junts, Puigdemont wants independents in key positions. A desire that worries JxCat internally as well: the more characters are outside the formation, the less place there is in the lists for current MPs or other party members who aspire to be there.
In any case, party sources suggest that there will be, in the first positions on the list, figures concerned with the formation. This is the case of Parliament Speaker Anna Eira; Former Chancellor Josep Rol – who is no longer disqualified – or former President of Culture Luis Puig, the last two members of the 1-O government like Puigdemont. Also hoping to secure a seat are the Democrats, who will form part of the electoral coalition and on Monday announced Tony Castilla and Assampcio Leila as candidates.
Whatever the case, there are still days to learn about the nominations: there is time until April 8. How will they decide? The regional groupings as well as the sectoral groupings will present their proposals, and it will be the permanent party, along with the leader of the list – Puigdemont – that will decide the order of nomination and also whether independents will be included. It is scheduled to be ratified by the National Council of the Giants on April 6.
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