After Ripoll, Tarragona: when municipal agreements are decided in Waterloo

Carles Puigdemont has given the green light for Junts to join PSC's municipal government in Tarragona. The socialist mayor, Rubén Viñuales, and the local leader of Junts, Jordi Sendra, have been negotiating the pact for months. However, Sendra had been in constant contact with the executive and the general secretariat, waiting for approval from Waterloo.

The situation is reminiscent of what happened in February, when Carles Puigdemont gave a direct order to break the sanitary cordon in Ripoll. For different reasons, though.

Puigdemont decided to block the operation in Ripoll, considering it would benefit Sílvia Orriols ahead of the 2027 municipal elections. In Tarragona, the operation would allow gaining some territorial power and strengthen Junts's candidate to seize the mayoralty in 2027. In both cases, the same circumstance repeats: the fate of two mayoralties is decided miles away, in Waterloo, by someone who hasn't set foot in Catalonia for eight years.

Carles Puigdemont, master of local pacts

Carles Puigdemont has assumed a clear leadership role in municipal politics after the 2023 elections. Junts's poor results were accompanied by a disastrous pact strategy that left them with hardly any territorial power. The main person blamed was Jordi Turull, whose maximalist policy proved to be a failure.

After that, Waterloo took command of the municipal strategy. The first challenge was Ripoll, where in 2023 the veto against Orriols led to a fracture between the territorial delegation and the national leadership. Even the top leadership was divided between the general secretary, Jordi Turull, who supported the veto, and the president Laura Borràs, who was in favor of investing Orriols.

A similar situation occurred in February, when part of Junts was pushing to join PSC, ERC, and CUP to oust Sílvia Orriols. The leadership expressed their reservations about the risk of victimizing Orriols and boosting her candidacy. The final decision was made by Puigdemont, who chose to break the sanitary cordon.

Tricky decision in Tarragona

In Tarragona, Junts has clear reservations about making a pact with PSC due to the current confrontation between them in Parliament. But at the same time, the leadership views favorably a pact that would allow Junts members to break out of isolation. This would avoid the blockade imposed in the Legislature in 2023, which ended up benefiting ERC.

Once the okay from Waterloo was obtained, the local delegation is now debating whether to join Viñuales's government. Although it seemed imminent, in recent hours the pact has cooled down. Junts members are uncertain about joining a government that would remain in the minority and would be forced to seek alliances with the Comuns.

Beyond local dynamics, it is evident that Carles Puigdemont has assumed total power within the party since the autumn congress in Calella. Without counterbalances and with the need to enhance his figure, Puigdemont has taken over the strategy at all levels. A double-edged sword, because his lack of contact with reality due to the distance is leading the party to an erratic strategy.