Trias will decide today whether to run for mayor of Barcelona: "I am closer to yes than no"

The hitherto sought-after ambiguity of Xavier Trias about his possible candidacy in the Barcelona municipal elections next May is about to come to an end.

Thomas Osborne
Thomas Osborne
12 December 2022 Monday 04:32
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Trias will decide today whether to run for mayor of Barcelona: "I am closer to yes than no"

The hitherto sought-after ambiguity of Xavier Trias about his possible candidacy in the Barcelona municipal elections next May is about to come to an end. "It is almost impossible" that this Monday night he does not speak out, the former mayor of the Catalan capital himself admitted in an interview on Catalunya Ràdio in which, in addition, he has slipped that he is closer to presenting himself than not doing so.

"I am closer to yes than no," Trias said. And it is a matter of hours that it has just been defined. Specifically, the man who was mayor of Barcelona between 2011 and 2015 has pointed out that he will have to speak this Monday, at a dinner of the Junts federation in Barcelona. "It is almost impossible for me not to make a decision [at this dinner], I probably have to say yes or no there," he has assumed.

Before, the former municipal president has to have several talks throughout the day to finish confirming a candidacy that is already taking shape. "Probably, today I will end up having the conversations that make me make a decision", he has limited himself to responding, maintaining the ambiguity.

These are negotiations on "how things have to work" between Junts per Catalunya, its current formation, and the PDECat, in which it was a member until 2019. "Steps are being taken, but the final push is missing, which depends on the leadership of the parties", he explained. Without giving further details, Trias has indeed made it clear that, for him, "unity is a basic tool to move things forward."

If his candidacy is confirmed, Trias has already mentioned a couple of names. The ex-minister Josep Maria Argimon, in no case, would go on the list, because his commitment, now, is with the Fundació Pasqual Maragall. On the other hand, the former mayor has been less blunt about the also former minister Victòria Alsina: "I have spoken with people, but I have not yet made the list of who would present himself. Everyone is speculating, but it is far from closed", he has punctuated.

In any case, if Trias confirms this Monday that he is taking the step, it must be as a candidate for a Junts primary and with the expectation that other candidates may also present themselves. For now, the former mayor assures that he feels the support of many people: "The people on the street are the ones who pressure me, the ones who tell me 'you have to present yourself, don't think about it anymore'", he has settled in Catalonia Radio.