The PSC is looking for pacts to leave the government alone
It has been almost a year since the municipal elections were held in Barcelona. Since then, the PSC has governed the town hall without a majority, with Jaume Collboni as mayor. The situation is complicated, since it has not been able to reach stable agreements with any of the parties that make up the municipal council. Every week, and sometimes every day, there is speculation about the possibility of a pact, either with a tripartite or a bipartite one. But the reality is that nothing changes and that, for now, even though some claim that the pact is done, it continues as it was eight months ago: a minority government and unapproved budgets.
The possible partners of the PSC: from Trias to Colau and ERC
Until a week ago, it seemed that the most likely pact was the one that would unite the PSC with the group of Xavier Trias, who was mayor of Barcelona between 2011 and 2015. But days later, things turned around: the leads to a possible agreement with Barcelona en Comú, the party of ex-mayor Ada Colau, and with Esquerra Republicana de Catalunya, which lost its municipal leader, Ernest Maragall, who left to form his own party. The departure of Maragall facilitates the possible understanding with the republicans, since he had a personal enmity with his former party colleagues and would never agree with Collboni, who he did not recognize any authority. Therefore, his departure was essential to be able to talk about pacts.
The obstacles for a tripartite party: Colau and its political future
But Maragall was not the only problem for a possible tripartite: Ada Colau, who was mayor of Barcelona until last May, is another obstacle for Collboni. The years they shared government were very tense between the two. Colau never let him have a relevant role, only when a few months were left before the elections, Collboni began to show his personality, with the consequent discomfort of Colau, who wanted him out of the government team. There is a saying that sums up very well why it shouldn’t be: “You don’t serve the one who served, you don’t ask the one who asked, you don’t command the one who ordered”. Everyone expected the leader of the commons to leave the town hall: first they proposed to her to be a minister, then to head the list in the European ones – which are close – and she said no to all the offers. She was quiet for a few months, but you already know that Colau can’t be quiet, it’s beyond her. He even took advantage of a change of look. No one imagines Colau as vice mayor.
What does Colau intend? He says his goal is to do municipal politics. No one likes her, she’s too ambitious. Leaving Catalonia is difficult for him because of a personal issue; retire in a well-paid position, neither. It is said that he can accept the tripartite in order not to leave part of his team alone, like Janet Sanz, for example, who has recently been very upset at the town hall meetings, and even shouts more than he should.
What Colau aspires to is to go from the top of the list to the autonomous regions and he calculates that any party that wins the elections will need to count on one or more parties to govern, and Colau will be there to enter the government as a councillor. This is their goal, they say. You know he can’t stay away from Barcelona, besides a personal issue, because she is the party. If he leaves, he can explode and pass as Podemos. He knows it, he’s aware of it. You have to keep going, at the foot of the canyon, even if it’s half damaged.
What citizens expect: a government that governs
This is what remains: three-way or two-way, and until the last minute you can’t predict. Now, what are the citizens of Barcelona waiting for? A government that governs, that returns to Barcelona all its splendor and leadership, that talks to all economic sectors and seeks complicity. Will Colau and his boys make it? There are serious doubts in many sectors that celebrated the loss of the municipal government. Going back now is not seen as progress, but as a step back.