The mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, wants a progressive government
The mayor of Barcelona, Jaume Collboni, has expressed his determination to seek a government agreement that allows a ‘progressive majority’ to be formed before the summer. In an interview with Catalunya Ràdio, Collboni emphasized that this agreement will be made with a specific focus on Barcelona and underlined his defense of the city’s political autonomy. The batlle has positively assessed the electoral results in Catalonia and Barcelona, stating that the votes for the PSC are a clear support for the actions of the government of Pedro Sánchez in Madrid. According to Collboni, this agreement will not have repercussions at regional or state level, since Barcelona has its own agenda and way of doing politics.
Goal: Broader government to address the needs of the city
The mayor has reiterated that his goal is to achieve a ‘broader’ government to address the main needs of the city, such as access to housing. However, he emphasized that Barcelona currently has a government, a mayor and budgets in force. Collboni hopes that in the coming weeks, and at the latest before the summer, there will be a positive response to the configuration of this progressive government.
Electoral results and support for progressive change
Collboni highlighted the resounding victory of the Socialists in the elections to the Parliament of Catalonia, stating that this gives a mandate for the formation of a strong government in Catalonia. Regarding Carles Puigdemont’s decision to stand for the investiture, the mayor has pointed out that there is no pro-independence majority in Parliament. He recognized the work of Pere Aragonès and affirmed that the internal process of ERC and the other parties must be respected. Collboni is confident that the talks can come to fruition and that a progressive government can be formed.
The political landscape in Catalonia
The socialists, led by Salvador Illa, have won the elections to the Parliament of Catalonia with 42 deputies, while Junts per Catalunya has obtained 35. Despite this, independence does not add up to an absolute majority and the sum of a tripartite reaches the 68 deputies, just the absolute majority. Despite this, the Junts per Catalunya candidate will present himself at the investiture, as he considers that independence has more seats than the socialist project.