An operation similar to the one that allowed Ada Colau to wrest the mayorship of Barcelona from the winner of the 2019 elections, but with the roles of some of the protagonists of that maneuver reversed and new stellar appearances. Socialist Jaume Collboni as mayor instead of Ada Colau; BComú as a minor partner in the government coalition instead of the PSC; and a couple of councilors from the PP exercising the functions that Manuel Valls and two other councilors of Barcelona assumed four years ago for Change. And now, as in 2019, with the same pretext: to prevent the capital of Catalonia from falling into the hands of pro-independence parties.
The outrageous plan summarized in the previous lines is what the socialists have begun to order after noting from the outset the scant, if not nil, predisposition of a badly injured ERC to gift the mayorship of Barcelona to the PSC, even if the operation involved a change in other institutions.
Jaume Collboni’s plan B, which the Socialists transferred to the People’s Party just yesterday – who only provided proof of receipt – is not without its difficulties. Most importantly, the condition and circumstances of the party invited to this alternative party, the Popular Party.
The call for general elections announced on Monday by President Pedro Sánchez complicates, at least on paper and in good logic, the aspiration of the Socialists to win back the mayorship from which they were banished twelve years ago.
Unlike four years ago, when Manuel Valls came into action, the independence process is not going through a moment of maximum effervescence, although precisely the results of 28-M and the sudden call of generals have shaken consciences and interests in the sovereignist ranks and have led to an attempt at rapprochement between Junts and ERC that may not have much success, but in the case of Barcelona it makes Maragall’s contribution to the “Mayor Collboni” campaign a little less viable. Of course, in their eagerness to achieve the goal they have set themselves, the Socialists will argue that the problem for Barcelona is not so much Trias as the team around him. The ex-mayor at all times, and also during a campaign in which he hid the Junts acronym, has shown many signs of pragmatism and moderation, but thinking about a future role in the municipal group, there are many councilors with strong beliefs and pro-independence attitudes. And this is a letter that the PSC is ready to use in the negotiation, as well as the one that the Junts leadership has given it proposing a unitary list of independence.
The fact that the general elections will be held only 36 days after the constitution of the town councils plays against a formula that is almost socialist, common and popular. For the PP, giving the mayorship of Barcelona to the socialists does not seem like the best possible deal when there is so little left for a life-or-death confrontation between Pedro Sánchez and Alberto Núñez Feijóo. “To the enemy, no water”, point out some consulted sources, although others, even of the same political sign, warn that the formula in which the combination of the 10 councilors of the PSC plus the 9 of BComú plus two of the four PP councilors would add up to the 21 votes Collboni needs.
Another factor to consider is to what extent Sirera would be willing to enter a game in which Colau participates and to what extent the commons, who constantly insist, by land, sea and Twitter, on the existence of a progressive majority in Barcelona (with PSC and ERC), would be ready to repeat the history of 2019 and to accept the support of the right, and this time with the aggravating factor that the biggest beneficiaries would be the socialists.
BComú and the PSC are anxiously waiting to learn the final result of the scrutiny on Friday. An overtaking of the commons (the difference is now 141 votes) would move all the pieces on the board again. Another effect of the election call is that, most likely, Ada Colau will not take the step of running in the July 23 elections as part of the project of the vice-president and leader of Sumar, Yolanda DÃaz. The mayor expects new events in a few days in which there is no time to stop them.
