No surprises. The socialist mayor of Sant Boi de Llobregat, Lluïsa Moret, was invested yesterday as president of the Provincial Council of Barcelona with the votes of En Comú Podem, Tot per Terrassa (TxT) and two independent mayors attached to Junts, that of Igualada, Marc Castells, and Torrelles de Foix, Sergi Vallès. In this way, the PSC gains control of the supra-municipal entity with the largest budget in Catalonia – more than 1,200 million euros – and JxCat is left out of the government of the last great stronghold of power that it had left after leave the Government of the Generalitat in October.
Moret obtained the support in the second vote, in which he only needed a simple majority, with 25 votes (PSC, commons, TxT, Castells and Vallès) of the 51 that make up the full body of the corporation. Instead, the rest of the groups voted for their own candidates: Xavier García Albiol (PP), Dionís Guiteras (ERC), Neus Munté (Junts) and Jordi de la Fuente (Vox).
"It has cost a lot" but "it has been a master move", boasted socialist sources involved in the talks that made Moret's investiture possible yesterday. Frantic negotiations, which have lasted for weeks, and in which the PSC has maneuvered to preserve an important institution for the 311 municipalities of the province of Barcelona - an area where the socialists have extended their dominance after the elections in May - because it constitutes an important source of investments for localities.
After Junts' refusal to reissue the pact it had until now with the socialists in the supra-municipal body for the so-called Barcelona operation, in little more than a week the alternative of the socialists was unleashed. First with the agreement with the commons according to which the former mayor of Castelldefels, Candela López, will get a vice-presidency in the Provincial Council; later with the governance pact with the training of the mayor of Terrassa, Jordi Ballart, who will not enter the government. And finally with the confirmation that Castells and Vallès were separated from the post-convergent group.
Both mayors, who will also enter the supra-municipal government, obtained the endorsement of 18 mayors to invest in Moret and in return "strategic investments" are guaranteed for the counties of Alt Penedès, Anoia and Garraf. In addition, socialist sources confirm that Castells, who has been president of the Provincial Council, will get another vice-presidency.
Now it remains to be seen what the full composition of the new supra-municipal government will be. The words of the deputy of ERC Dionís Guiteras in yesterday's plenary - he opened the door to collaborate and to start a new stage - pay off the possibility of the republicans entering the executive after the general elections - the plenary session will be held after the elections. Sources from various formations raise this option, conditional, however, on the results of 23-J.
Already as president, Moret showed her readiness to form "a broad and stable government", and for this reason she offered her hand "to all the groups with which we share a view of progress, of respect for coexistence and democratic rights ”, which “means exploring any proposal” in favor of “a government that generates stability and good management”, he insisted.
The tension within the post-convergent group was evident yesterday. Its spokeswoman, Neus Munté, promised in plenary to make a "constructive, responsible" opposition and "without sectarianism", but warned that they would be "demanding" of good government so that all councils have "the same opportunities".
We will now have to wait to clarify the composition of the supra-municipal government, the future of the two "disobedient" mayors of the post-convergent space and if ERC joins the winning horse.
