The victory of Xavier Trias confirms that we are in a political moment in Catalonia in which it is not enough to win an election; it is also essential to have the ability to establish pacts with other parties. If, after the results of the 2019 Barcelona municipal elections, the dilemma was to decide for a Barcelona led by independence, ERC, or by the left, BComú, PSC and BCN for Canvi-Cs (Manuel Valls), now it is about defining broad agreements capable of substantiating the Barcelona of Yes. The Barcelona of yes is the political and social space defended by Xavier Trias, Jaume Collboni, Ernest Maragall and Daniel Sirera. The Yes Barcelona has 30 councilors and they are the ones who best capture the citizens’ mandate expressed at the polls: to leave behind the city model promoted by Barcelona en Comú.
The elections to the Barcelona City Council, as Ada Colau explained very well, were going to confront models and the citizens with their votes have rewarded the model of Xavier Trias. What the citizens have decided is that Junts must agree and the PSC, the second party with the most councilors and votes, has the possibility and responsibility to try to govern, but also the responsibility to reach political agreements with those parties that allow development a new project for Barcelona without ties to the past.
The victory of Trias represents the beginning of a new political cycle for Barcelona; the BComú model, which has come in third place, must give way to the city project focused on promoting economic development and the fight against inequalities. One could come to the conclusion that Barcelona can only be governed if it is possible to articulate a great city pact, where the political parties and civil society strengthen the leadership of the new mayor.
The people of Barcelona hope that the change, the mandate they expressed at the polls, will be respected and materialized with a new city government. Trias guarantees it and Collboni must contribute to opening a new stage in Barcelona in which he is a decisive piece to boost the Barcelona of yes.
