Former Barcelona mayor Ada Colau left the political front just a decade after founding Barcelona en Comú and moving from street activism to administration. Colau, who already left her position as councilor on October 25, said goodbye this Saturday to the formation and to her activism with a speech that justified the path she had traveled in recent years, but recognizing that she was leaving at a “difficult time”.
“We must update our theses to be a useful space for social transformation,” he assured the National Assembly of Commons, where the party is facing a reorganization and a change of face. Today, Colau made what was her last intervention as training coordinator, a position for which she resigned to run again. “I am leaving, but that does not mean leaving the Comuns family,” he clarified.
Given his departure, his people have faced the search for new leadership at a time when polls no longer support the party as much as they did years ago. Colau thus left a task to his successors: “We must strengthen our presence in the institutions. »
Jéssica Albiach will also leave coordination. She and Colau headed the supreme executive body with Candela López. In the absence of a replacement, the triumvirate will become, as expected, a duo in which López will rehearse and which will be joined by Barcelona advisor Gemma Tarafa. Both are part of the former mayor’s circle of trust.
However, Albiach is not leaving the executive, but will occupy a new position alongside Ernest Urtasun. Both will become institutional leaders in Parliament and the Government. Albiach will thus consolidate his position as party leader in Catalonia, where the Comuns are a key element in building the majorities that Salvador Illa needs. On the other hand, Congress deputies Aina Vidal and Gerardo Pisarelo will become spokespersons replacing Joan Mena.
The executive replacements, in which 20 out of 47 positions will be changed, are presented in a single list that activists will approve this Sunday, thus resulting in a friendly, no-fuss replacement like that seen in other countries Catalans. the holidays. What will not be discussed in this meeting is the reform of the ethical code that the formation has had on the table for a long time and which establishes that its leaders can only combine an institutional position and an organic position.
This contradicts various names like that of Candela López, who has held three positions for almost a year. Likewise, there are two deputies who also have responsibilities in the municipal councils: Luís Mijoler is mayor of El Prat and Núria Lozano, deputy mayor of l’Hospitalet.
“We ended up having too many responsibilities,” admitted López, who announced that she would “soon” leave the role of deputy in Parliament to dedicate herself to coordinating the party, a position that she will combine with that of vice-president. president of the Provincial Deputation of Barcelona.
The party’s intention is to formally examine this issue with the new executive, once this weekend’s assembly concludes.
Our line of sight towards the municipal elections
Colau made it clear in his speech that the party’s new stage must be focused on strengthening the municipalist character of the party. “We must fight local and global elites,” said the former mayor, who asserted that “even though it is often seen as the little brother of politics, municipalism is the basis of everything.”
This thesis is shared by Jéssica Albiach, who assured that the party lacked a “social base”. We need to expand in AMB and rural areas. The former coordinator also stressed that the formation is not municipalist “by vocation, but by strategy” and affirmed the need to strengthen the presence in municipal councils as the only way to “last despite the storms”.
The only one of the three coordinators who will remain in office, Candela López, is the one who has been the most self-critical, assuring that the local nuclei “did not have the implementation that they should have had” and was dismissed. agreement with his colleagues. that municipalities They are the key to the future of the commons.
The restructuring of the leadership comes after the drop in votes in the general and regional elections, as well as the loss of the Barcelona City Hall, the last great stronghold of a party that has managed to govern in various cities – now it has none more than three – and that it became the leading force in Catalonia in the 2016 general elections.
From now on, the party’s objective is to strengthen itself in the face of the municipal elections of 2027, knowing that its playing field is in the municipal councils. This is how we understand the new leadership of López and Tarafa. The first was mayor of Castelldefels and vice-president of the Provincial Council of Barcelona; The second occupied the Barcelona health service.
The commitment of the Comuns at the municipal level and the loss of the Catalan capital at the hands of Jaume Collboni left the formation so confused that the former mayor, although she left her councilor file, did not explicitly exclude the possibility of running again in the 2027 elections, Colau will begin teaching university courses and assume the presidency of the party’s foundation with former minister Joan Subirats, a position that lacks remuneration.
During this weekend’s assembly, which knows the notable absence of Yolanda Díaz, in addition to reviewing the leadership, the Comuns will also vote on various proposals in order to establish the party’s position in different areas. They seek, among other things, to make it a reference in the fight against climate change.
