Four years ago, not even the candidacy for the Barcelona Chamber of Commerce promoted by the pro-independence entity ANC expected such a large victory: they won 32 of the 40 representatives in the vote. On this occasion, the elections that start on Friday also have an uncertain result, although political support is more balanced than in 2019. And although the alternative candidacy to the independence party has learned from the mistakes of the previous process, no one takes any results for granted.
The Eines de País pro-independence list refuses to name the person who will take over the presidency if they win the elections. It was reiterated this week by the current president of the Chamber, Mònica Roca. Although the visible faces are her and vice president Toni Fitó, the former president of the institution and Junts deputy, Joan Canadell, could also play a role.
The other candidacy, the one led by Josep Santacreu, does place him as the presidential candidate but maintains a low communication profile. It has the explicit support of large businessmen such as Eloi Planes, president of the Catalan multinational Fluidra.
There have been no contrasts of ideas in any debate between the candidates, unlike what happened in the previous elections, as the Eines list has been in charge of repeating. However, that low profile has not prevented the elections from becoming even more politicized than four years ago.
Government sources maintain that they are neutral with the two candidates while Junts sources indicate that they do not have a preferred list either. So much so that yesterday the former president of the Generalitat Carles Puigdemont received in Brussels the two visible faces of the independence candidacy of Eines de País, Roca and Fitó. In a tweet, Puigdemont showed his preference for the independence candidacy by pointing out the need to consolidate the work done “over the next four years.”
At the same time, consulted sources maintain that there are other Junts heavyweights, such as former councilors Jaume Giró and Victoria Alsina or the former mayor of Barcelona Xavier Trias who would welcome a victory for the candidacy led by Santancreu.
But it is that from the employers’ association Foment del Treball, which has three direct representatives, they do not say they get wet for anyone either. In the case of Pimec, the employers assure that they have partners in the two candidacies, so they will ask for their vote. Even so, it seems unlikely that the representatives of Foment and those of Pimec will vote for a candidate for president who is not from Santacreu’s list.
On this issue, Toni Fitó points out that “what would not be understood is that the six representatives of the employers’ associations could alter the majority meaning of the polls.” The members of the employers’ associations could have the key to the presidency if Eines’ candidacy won by less than six members. Your votes could turn the result around.
Precisely these complex future scenarios together with the politicization of the process are behind the decision taken this week by Agbar to withdraw his candidacy for the leadership of his water sector. Sources consulted assure the company that it felt uncomfortable with the dynamic that the campaign had acquired, highly politicized by the two candidates. The president of Agbar, Ángel Simón, preferred to let Foment del Treball exercise its representation in the organization.
The very complex election system also makes it difficult to predict a winner. As can be seen in the graph, the plenary session that elects the president is made up of 60 members. Of these 6 are appointed by the Foment and Pimec employers, two are for companies that contribute resources and the remaining 52 are chosen by voting. But what is voted on is not a candidate but the companies from each of the 14 defined sectors.
Santacreu’s candidacy is made up of 46 numbers. Among the professionals and companies competing on its list, in addition to Planes, Juan José Brugera (Colonial), Josep Ametller (Casa Ametller) and Emili Rousaud (Factorenergia) stand out. Santacreu’s list does not present candidates for the 52 members of the plenum who are covered by suffrage, as Eines de País has done.
On Friday Mònica Roca closed her mandate at the head of the business organization with criticism of the Government’s management for having been unable to approve a Catalan chamber law. She did so during a press conference to present the organization’s balance sheet. In her opinion, that event held at the Chamber’s headquarters and a week before the elections was not a campaign event since – she assured – it had been held on other occasions before the elections.
