Xavier Trias and Ernest Maragall have left an agreement “very advanced” today to govern Barcelona and for the Junts candidate in the municipal elections on May 28 to recover the mayoralty that he lost eight years ago at the hands of Ada Colau. Sources from both formations have admitted that the pact is currently the most likely option and that it could be closed in the next few hours. Time is pressing, since the investiture plenary session is scheduled for 5 p.m. on Saturday and because both Junts and ERC have to submit the agreement to the consultation of their respective bases, a more express consultation than ever.
The alliance finalized by Trias and Maragall would place the ERC leader as first deputy mayor. ENacional.cat has pointed out that Junts and ERC would share out six mayoral tenures, four for Junts and two for Esquerra, an extreme east that sources familiar with the negotiation have not confirmed.
Trias and Maragall have maintained various contacts since the day after the elections and have spoken to each other practically every day. Today they have done it again in the early afternoon to leave the pact ready for candy.
In the event that Junts and ERC end up closing the agreement, Trias would become the mayor of Barcelona on Saturday without the need to obtain an absolute majority of 21 of the 41 plenary councilors. The only option that would make it impossible for Trias to recover the command baton of the city would be an agreement, which at this moment seems unlikely, between socialists and commoners with the support of at least two PP councillors, which would allow the socialist Jaume Collboni to add those 21 votes needed and win the mayoralty.
