The viewpoint from which you can see the point where the waters of the Besòs River and the Mediterranean Sea meet, in the municipality of Sant Adrià de Besòs, was the place chosen this morning by the chief photography editor of La Vanguardia, Xavier Cervera, to officiate once again – and there are already eleven since 1984 – the ritual of the image that tomorrow, May 12, will illustrate the cover of this newspaper.
Shortly before 9:30, the time set to comply with this tradition of the day of reflection for the Catalan elections, the candidates from the formations with parliamentary representation have arrived at the stage of the photograph, where they have been received by the director of the newspaper, Jordi Juan, the deputy directors Lola García and Miquel Molina, the deputy director Isabel García Pagán, and the editor-in-chief of Politics, Silvia Angulo. The role of hostess has fallen to the mayor of Sant Adrià, a very kind Filo Cañete, delighted to show the candidates to preside over Catalonia this semi-hidden jewel of her municipality and of the metropolitan area of ??Barcelona, ??which is the mouth of the Besòs.
The candidates of the PSC (Salvador Illa), ERC (Pere Aragonès), Comuns Sumar (Jèssica Albiach), Ciudadanos (Carlos Carrizosa), Vox (Ignacio Garriga), PP (Alejandro Fernández) and the CUP (Laia Estrada) attended the meeting ), Junts per Catalunya, which did participate in the different debates held during the campaign that ended yesterday, declined the invitation of La Vanguardia as it could not count on the participation of its list leader and former president of the Generalitat, Carles Puigdemont.
The most early riser was the candidate of the Popular Party, Alejandro Fernández, followed, in that order, by Pere Aragonès, Ignacio Garriga, Salvador Illa, Carlos Carrizosa, Jèssica Albiach and, finally, Laia Estrada. All have traveled to the Besòs River Park by car, with the exception of the head of the CUP list, who has done so by combining the train and taxi.
The candidates have posed on a platform arranged on the right bank of the mouth of the Besòs with the unmistakable image of the Three Xemeneies of Sant Adrià in the background and from a point where the meeting between the river and the sea can be seen. In this way, Xavier Cervera wanted to symbolize the lack of water that Catalonia is suffering from and the need to use all available resources to alleviate the effects of drought, both those offered by river courses – with the possibility of water regeneration – and the sea through desalination plants.
The water pact proposed by the author of the photograph that will illustrate tomorrow’s cover of La Vanguardia del 12-M has been sealed by the image of the seven candidates raising a glass full of water.
The protagonists of the photo have shown once again that, beyond the heat of the electoral campaign. A good atmosphere reigns among them. In fact, this circumstance is what has made it possible for La Vanguardia’s photo of candidates, later imitated by other media outlets, to have become a Catalan electoral tradition. This year marks precisely 40 since in 1984 the photojournalist Pedro Madueño had the magnificent idea of ??bringing together the Catalan presidential candidates for the day of reflection. With today’s ceremony, the first for Xavier Cervera, there are now 11 times that La Vanguardia has organized this ceremony on the day of reflection.
The candidates have not abandoned their campaign attire even on this day of relative relaxation before facing election day. Only Salvador Illa and Pere Aragonés have worn a suit and tie. The candidate of the commons Jèssica Albiach has put on her talisman sneakers (some red Converse) and the head of the Ciudadanos list has worn once again, under her light blue jacket, the vintage-style t-shirt of the orange formation.
