Centrem, the new center and moderate formation promoted by the former Minister of Business and Knowledge Ànegls Chacón, faces a dilemma in the city of Barcelona before the 2023 municipal elections.
After the Junts per Catalunya congress, having seen the approved documents, and despite some twists such as the one related to the tax area, the formation is clear that it does not want to agree with Junts, but they do not have those reservations with their possible candidate in the Catalan capital , Xavier Trias, who left the door open to lead the Junts candidacy a few days ago, and last Monday he already lavished himself on some works in Nou Barris together with the now leader of JxCat in Barcelona, the former minister Neus Munté. It is not until September that he is expected to announce his decision, although many in his space already consider him to be the candidate.
With these elements on the table, Chacón plans to speak with the former mayor of Barcelona. The Trias factor, by itself, is not enough, according to Centrem sources, who acknowledge that the fact that he is the candidate changes the scenario and makes them rethink his strategy. But that does not lead to an organic pact with Junts just like that, although the two parties agree that a replacement in the municipal government of the Catalan capital is appropriate.
For Centrem, who was betting on the former Minister Santi Vila as the headliner in the Catalan capital if the legal situation allows it – on October 5 he will be tried for the works of Sijena in Huesca, from when he was Minister of Culture – it is not easy to face to the former mayor and they believe that he should lead an autonomous project detached from JxCat so that they can join. All that remains to be seen.
In May, before the renewal of Junts took place in the congress, in which the most pragmatic and institutional sectors have taken positions and have emerged reinforced, Trias winked at Chacón in an interview on Vilaweb. "That Àngels Chacón entered Junts would be intelligent", assured the former mayor of the Catalan capital a few days after the founding congress of Centrem, a party that arises from a previous agreement of PDECat, Convergents, Lliga Democràtica and Lliures. In addition, Trias was recently in favor of Junts recovering the people from the PDECat and also those from Centrem and admitted that he still had a card from the latter formation. In reference to JxCat, Trias stressed that "Àngels Chacón has to enter the project". "He sets a trend that I think is good that he is within Junts," he added.
Another circumstance that must be taken into account in this equation that is difficult to solve is that the electoral rights of the 2019 JxCat brands still belong to PDECat, and Centerm has an agreement with the heirs of Convergència Democràtica de Catalunya (CDC) to use them in the 2023. That gives the right to electoral spaces and visibility. What is not clear is what will be done with the economic rights, which allow money to be advanced to the formations based on the electoral result obtained in the previous electoral contest.
As if all this were not enough, Vila, in an interview with Crónica Global, last May, when they asked him about his political preferences, he bet on "connecting" with "mayors like Maragall or Trias, although Trias was 'the brief '".
