In Barcelona, Junts Leader Withdraws from Mayoral Race for Party Unity. Junts Vice President Josep Rius has withdrawn from the race for the mayor of Barcelona. The decision is linked to the desire to avoid a conflict with candidate Jordi Martí Galbis. The party is now preparing for the 2027 elections.
An internal conflict has erupted within the Junts party in Barcelona: party vice president and official spokesperson Josep Rius has announced that he will not be running for mayor of the Catalan capital. His decision is tied to the need to maintain unity within Junts and to avoid direct confrontation with Jordi Martí Galbis, who is seen as Xavier Trias' successor and who previously declared his intention to participate in the primaries.
Rius, who previously headed Carles Puigdemont’s office during his presidency, announced his decision in an open letter to party members. He emphasized that in recent months he had considered leading the Junts list for the municipal elections, but after Martí Galbis's statement decided to withdraw from the contest in order to prevent a split. According to him, the new phase of the party in Barcelona requires “generosity, consensus, self-criticism, and renewal,” as well as unity from the very start of the campaign.
The Junts party plans to hold a special municipalist meeting on May 30 in Vilafranca del Penedès, where candidates for key positions in Catalan cities will be presented. This date has been chosen as the starting point for preparations for the 2027 municipal elections. In 2023, Junts managed to secure more than 300 mayoral seats in Catalonia, but the party is not represented in power in any of the four capitals of the autonomous community.
The intra-party struggle for Barcelona was seen as a potential confrontation between supporters of Carles Puigdemont and Xavier Trias. Many in Junts viewed this not only as a personal conflict but also as a symbolic choice of the party's direction. Rius, whose political career is closely linked to Puigdemont, had long been considered the frontrunner for the nomination, especially given the unsuccessful attempts to involve Artur Mas and entrepreneur Tatxo Benet. However, after Martí Galbis announced his willingness to participate in the primaries, the situation changed.
Rius's decision to withdraw from the race may serve as a signal to other party structures about the need to avoid internal conflicts ahead of crucial elections. Catalonia has 947 municipalities, and the battle for Barcelona remains a key task for Junts, given the lack of control over the region's capitals. It is important to note that similar disputes over the distribution of urban resources and political positions have repeatedly become a topic of discussion in Barcelona — for example, when city authorities decided to provide the Olympic Stadium free of charge for a major religious event, which sparked controversy among politicians (more on Barcelona city hall's decision).
The context of recent years shows that internal party disagreements within Junts often reflect the broader political landscape of Catalonia, where issues of unity, renewal, and strategic direction remain crucial for all major players. Rius's decision may influence the balance of power not only in Barcelona but also in other cities in the region, where Junts aims to strengthen its position by 2027.
