The struggle for independence in the metropolitan area

The metropolitan area of ​​Barcelona, ​​where the majority of the Catalan population is concentrated, capital apart –with its own idiosyncrasy and political dynamics alien to its environment on some occasions–, is one of the areas marked in red on the map of all political formations .

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
26 December 2022 Monday 23:32
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The struggle for independence in the metropolitan area

The metropolitan area of ​​Barcelona, ​​where the majority of the Catalan population is concentrated, capital apart –with its own idiosyncrasy and political dynamics alien to its environment on some occasions–, is one of the areas marked in red on the map of all political formations . Also within the independence movement, although the formations of that spectrum have very different starting points before the municipal elections in May of next year.

It is a traditionally socialist stronghold, so much so that it is also known as a red belt, although five years ago, in December 2017, circumstantially and exceptionally, it was dyed orange in the regional elections after 1-O with the massive support for Ciudadanos as a counterweight to the independence movement. But in subsequent appointments the PSC has recovered its vigor while the oranges dwindled.

Esquerra has been gaining positions, without threatening socialist hegemony, in various cities in the last decade and in several municipalities they are second force. In the municipal elections of May 2023, the Republicans aspire to consolidate this progress and win voters with bets such as that of Gabriel Rufián, ERC number one in Madrid since 2016, who will be a candidate in Santa Coloma de Gramanet. Junts was the party that won the most mayoralties in all of Catalonia three and a half years ago –still hand in hand with PDECat–, but it was resoundingly shipwrecked in the metropolitan area and only obtained one councilor –David Torrents in Badalona– in the first crown. In the municipalities of Sant Boi de Llobregat, Cornellà de Llobregat, Sant Adrià del Besòs, l'Hospitalet de Llobregat, El Prat de Llobregat or Santa Coloma de Gramenet, without going any further, there is no representation of JxCat.

Jordi Turull's group has set itself the goal of “surprising” and “penetrating” that territory. For this, they have been working for more than a year on their own and differentiated strategy to connect with the population and its particularities. Thus, they will be able to focus during the campaign on matters such as housing, mobility and security and will focus on aspects such as the fundamental transformations that have been taking place slowly and discreetly in recent years in matters such as small businesses -after the Many retirements close or change with the transfer.

Another example that illustrates this is the Junts initiatives to end the conflictive occupations, which had already been promoted when they were in the Government, although they did not materialize. Now the party tries to promote them from the opposition and from the municipal level. "We will talk about housing, that young people can buy and do not have to go to the second or third crown, about progress or to implement a minimum Catalan interprofessional salary of 1,250 euros, because living in Catalonia is more expensive", they point out in JxCat.

Since Jordi Sànchez led the party Toni Morral, ex-mayor of Cerdanyola del Vallès con Iniciativa, has focused on the metropolitan portfolio. Together with him, who has been the coordinator, the former mayor of Molins de Rei, Joan Ramon Casals, who is the president of the party in the Vegueria of Barcelona, ​​and Isidre Sierra, spokesman for Junts in the Metropolitan Area of Barcelona and mayor of San Climent de Llobregat.

The works, discreet, began with an analysis and reflection on why Junts hardly obtained support in the metropolitan area in 2019, although in the regional or general contests it does fish for votes in that fishing ground. "Among other things, we saw that we did not have a specific story beyond identification with 1-O," the sources consulted point out.

Apart from what is the metropolitan area of ​​Barcelona with its 36 municipalities, ERC, which starts with an advantage in the contest, has a strategy for the cities that go from Blanes to Cambrils. In the Maresme, for example, today they already have 17 of the 30 mayors that exist. "Our strategy is that the candidacies resemble the populations they represent," say Esquerra sources. "We want to improve results and have mayoralties after having grown in recent years, although the PSC is still very strong," add the sources, who highlight their project in Santa Coloma de Gramanet, with Rufián as a visible face.

"It is an interesting bet, and a metropolitan candidate that serves us well for the rest of the municipalities," stress the sources, who also highlight their commitment to l'Hospitalet de Llobregat. The former socialist councilor Jaume Graells, who denounced the corruption case of the Consell Esportiu of the second Catalan city and left the PSC, will lead the Republicans.

The formation highlights that it has already closed and presented the majority of candidates, unlike other forces, when there is half a year left for the contest. Following this idea of ​​looking for people who are similar to the population, in Sabadell the republican leader is Gabriel Fernández, of Uruguayan origin, and in Martorell, Soulimane Messaoudi, a councilor who came to Catalonia from Morocco when he was young.

And if Rufián will be the visible face of ERC in the metropolitan area, Junts trusts the convergent former mayor of Barcelona Xavier Trias, who has been on everyone's lips for months, even before announcing his intentions, and has presented several candidates.

The CUP began to define its strategy in mid-November with an ad hoc convention and will also focus on aspects such as mobility, sustainable and quality, or housing. Their candidates, anti-capitalist sources point out, will come from neighborhood movements and aspire to consolidate and improve the results of 2019