Ada Colau, on Trial While Her Party Is About to Make a Deal With Collboni

Los Comuns continue exploring ways to join Jaume Collboni's government in Barcelona's city council. Meanwhile, their leader Ada Colau is once again in the defendant's seat. She is accused of malfeasance for breaking relations with Israel and the twinning with the city of Tel Aviv.

Colau faces a lawsuit for malfeasance, stemming from the decision made by decree when she was mayor. She did so based on the claim that "Israel is violating the human rights of the Palestinian population," and spoke of "apartheid crime against the Palestinian people."

Accused of Malfeasance

The former mayor thus satisfied the request of several social organizations, which presented 3,750 signatures to break relations with Israel. Lawyer Francesc Jufresa filed a lawsuit against Colau and Laura Pérez, then councilor for Global Justice and International Cooperation of Barcelona's city council.

The judge admitted the lawsuit, and now Colau and Pérez will have to face a trial. The complainant argues that the then-mayor did not have the authority to make this decision, something denied by the Comuns. Additionally, Colau's government team was accused of being anti-Semitic by pro-Israel organizations.

Exploring a Tripartite

This is another setback for the former mayor of Barcelona, who is not going through her best moment. Her electoral defeat on May 28 was followed by her controversial decision to invest Jaume Collboni with PP's votes. In the coming days, it will be decided if her party joins PSC's government.

Los Comuns have not yet taken the step, aware of the wear and tear it could entail just before the July 23 elections. They have started the legislature in opposition but continue negotiations to join the new executive.

Significantly, PSC has left some council positions vacant, such as Housing and Tourism, where the Comuns would fit well. The party has already said it would welcome a PSC-Comuns-ERC tripartite.