David Bondia, the current Síndic de Barcelona, leads the city’s ombudsman selection after topping the public vote. Bondia, who has held the post since 2021 and is known for his expertise in civic and human rights, received 2,064 individual votes and support from 25 organizations. His rival, jurist Gemma Calvet, received 643 individual votes and endorsements from six organizations. The city council confirmed the results when the participatory phase concluded at the end of June.
The public vote does not determine the final appointment. Barcelona’s municipal plenary session was scheduled to decide on July 31, with a two-thirds majority required to confirm the next Síndic for a five-year term. Voting took place online via decidim.barcelona and at polling stations across all ten districts. Residents over 16 and registered organizations could take part. Although the vote is non-binding, the council has said it will consider the results before making its choice.
Bondia’s tenure has focused on mediation in prominent city disputes, including the attempted eviction at Casa Orsola, which became a symbol of Barcelona’s housing struggles. In February 2025, Barcelona City Council and Fundació Hàbitat3 announced the building’s purchase after mobilization to prevent tenants’ eviction. ABC reported a transaction value of €9.2 million, including €4.8 million in municipal investment. The case has since been cited as a precedent in other Barcelona housing disputes.
His annual reports have raised concerns about homelessness and pressure on social services, including a shortage of emergency accommodation for families facing eviction. He has also flagged bureaucratic delays affecting residents seeking to register on the municipal census. Housing remains prominent in his public work: in October 2026, Betevé identified Bondia as Barcelona’s ombudsman while reporting that he had proposed a collaborative purchase of Bloc Papallona in Nova Esquerra de l’Eixample by housing-sector organizations.
Beyond his local role, Bondia is president of the Alianza Global del Ombudsperson Local (AGOL), a global network of local ombuds institutions. He previously led the Institut de Drets Humans de Catalunya (IDHC) and the working group for the Catalan Mechanism for the Prevention of Torture (MCPT). His international experience includes missions with the European Union and AECID, as well as the Council of Europe and the United Nations Development Programme. Bondia is a tenured professor of Public International Law and International Relations at the University of Barcelona.
The contest between Bondia and Calvet brought sharp exchanges in debates organized by the city council and Betevé. Calvet, a jurist with three decades of experience in rights advocacy and social policy, has also worked in public-sector governance. She has held roles with the European Commission and the United Nations, as well as the OECD. Calvet has served as director of the Transparency Agency in the Barcelona Metropolitan Area. She was also a member of the Catalan Parliament and president of its Justice and Human Rights Commission. Calvet contributed to drafting Barcelona’s Charter of Rights and Duties in 2010 and has coordinated good-governance programs linked to the UN. She currently works as a lawyer and consultant. She has taught at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and her teaching has also included the University of Barcelona and ESADE.
The participatory process for selecting the Síndic began in 2016 under former mayor Ada Colau. This is the third time the city has used the approach, which aims to bring the office closer to residents and give the public a greater voice in the final decision. After the public phase, municipal technical teams will prepare a report for council groups to review ahead of the plenary vote.
Recent changes in Barcelona’s political field, including Meritxell Batet’s appointment to lead Fundación Avanza, reflect a wider trend of institutional renewal and closer public scrutiny of leadership roles. For more on these shifts in local governance, read the coverage of Batet’s new position at PSOE’s Fundación Avanza.
The decision at the end of July will determine who leads the city’s ombuds office through 2031. In October 2026, Betevé again identified Bondia as the city’s ombudsman in its report on the Bloc Papallona proposal, bringing the office’s housing advocacy back into public debate.
